Crescent Moon
by The Ultimate Otaku
Summary: Jacob is on house arrest under Sam's order because he is in heat.  I know, unoriginal, but try me!  When Bella shows up and is caught unawares, both she and Jacob are put to the test. Can Jacob resist her? And will Bella finally choose? COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

I know this idea has been written a billion times before, but I wanted to try my hand at it. Please give it a try. I tried to make it different and exciting.

Also, if you hate Jacob Black, obviously this fic is not for you, since Jacob is a KEY character in this. Hate Jacob no matter what? Don't read.

**CRESCENT MOON**

A Twilight fanfic

by The Ultimate Otaku

CHAPTER ONE

Jacob's POV

It came to him in the night. Jacob wasn't surprised; when he had first had signs of becoming a werewolf, that had come at nighttime, too. This time though, he knew what it was. He wasn't sure if that made it worse, or better. He wasn't afraid like he had been that time. This time, he was angry.

_I hate being out of control! That's exactly what the damn leeches are always saying about us. 'Those werewolves are dangerous, Bella. Don't go near them.' Bah! I hate them!_

The new change was a wild heat in his body. It filled him up and made his skin tingle. It made him ache, in unbearable ways. It brought the most delicious, torturous images of Bella Swan into his mind. He had always wanted her. He had kissed her before, and she had hit him. He had even imagined her naked, before.

But not like this. Not while in heat, like he was now (_why can't male werewolves be like male dogs and not go in heat, but simply react to females in heat? Then we'd only have Leah to deal with_, he thought). In heat, the visions of Bella made his body ache. They made him tremble, and gasp her name. He saw her wet from a bath, her dark hair gliding over her shoulders, her full breasts bare. The rose color of her erect nipples combined with the pink of her mouth in this vision made Jacob feel like he couldn't breathe anymore. Had Cullen ever seen her like this? Jacob doubted it. He prayed he hadn't.

Bella sauntered towards him in this vision, slowly. He watched as droplets of water fell from her hair down her body. They caressed her thighs, her rounded hips, they slipped deep into her hot core. He wanted to bend down and lick her there. He wanted to sweep the hair from her shoulders and kiss her, to touch her, to taste her...

Sam had told him the signs. He had seen them, and said, 'It will pass in three days. As long as you don't phase, you'll be safe. Stay human. It will be hard, but I know you can do it. It will feel like phasing would keep you safe - you could run from it, you could feel the cooling air of the forest. But it's not like that, this time. Phase, and you'll never be safe."

Jacob had asked him, "What do you mean? Safe from whom?"

Sam had grimaced, and those brown eyes looked away. Jacob had never seen his Alpha flush in shame before. "Us," Sam had answered. "Your brothers. We can smell it on you if you turn wolf. Don't."

The thought of it made him sick. What made Jacob even sicker was the knowledge that while in heat, he was a danger to Bella. All he wanted was to keep her safe.

_No, _a voice inside him said. _You want more than that. You want her. You want her to need you. You want to be first, not second, don't you? Her first choice. _

The first day, Jacob survived. He was in bed for half of it, trying to sleep, but his body kept sweating. The visions of Bella kept coming. One moment he would be looking out his window towards the beach, and then he would be remembering his walks there with Bella. Then he would imagine what it would be like, to pull her into the ocean, to lie with her on the warm sand and press his body to hers...what it would be like, to put his hands around her waist, and whirl her in the air. To have her want to kiss him, and do it over and over...

What would it be like, to slide her body over his, to unbutton those jeans and have her warm body over his cock? To have her grind against him...to have her hands on him?

In one of the most ridiculous visions, Bella was wearing only his shirt. It was a black shirt with holes in it. The holes revealed her skin. She sat on his motorcycle, grinning at him, and when he stepped towards her, she turned, and opened her legs to him. With her hands on his shoulders, her fingernails digging into him, he would bend down. He would kiss those soft, pale thighs, and then lick into her...until she cried out his name.

There was no Cullen in these visions, no leeches at all. There was only Jacob, and Bella, and the way she said his name. She moaned it, over and over, when he pounded into her from behind. Her soft body hit the countertop over and over, but she liked it. The voice within him liked it when Jacob got angry, when Jacob got violent. When he thought of Cullen and how much he'd like to rip him apart, the visions of Bella got influenced.

Her round bottom got redder, and redder, as he slapped it with his palm in one vision. She pressed her fingers into her mouth and bit on them until they bled. She whimpered, when he slipped his fingers deep into her body, but never let her have his cock. The worst scenario, yet also the best, had Bella's mouth around his cock, sucking and licking.

Her voice haunted him when he did try to sleep, that night, dreading the second day and the third.

He finally slept, but then the voice returned. It got louder. "Jacob. JACOB. JAKE." A cold hand entered his consciousness, threw back the blankets he slumbered beneath and touched his bare shoulder. What?

Jacob opened his eyes. Oh. Bella actually stood before him. It was the second day.

She wore a dark purple swimsuit that hugged her curves. It pressed her breasts together, creating a delightful cleavage. Jacob swallowed, hard, and gathered the blankets more around him. They hadn't helped him sweat out the fever of his heat. His heart was pounding as he looked at Bella. She had the longest legs, covered only by a little pair of black shorts. Her hair was wet and she wore it out, just like in his visions...

He could see her nipples, erect from cold, their shape outlined beneath her swimsuit. Immediately the lust in him wanted him to reach forward and strip her, and wrap his mouth around her nipples, lick them with his hot tongue. Jacob groaned, and sat up. He put his face in his hands.

"Jake, what's wrong? You're burning hot..."

She pressed her small hand against his forehead. Jacob did feel feverish, but it wasn't from illness. He swore in his head, as just her touch alone made his whole body start to tingle madly. With her bending over him like that, he could see the rounded tops of her breasts, the wet drops that had sprinkled there.

"I'm not feeling so great, Bella," he mumbled, and tore his eyes away. He lay back down, and turned his back to her. _Leave. Leave. Leave. Please just go. You can't help. You're only making it worse. God, I want you. _

He couldn't say that. So when she asked, "What's going on, Jake?" he said nothing. She sat down beside him, and stroked the back of her hand across his cheek.

Jacob shut his eyes. Her hand on his cheek made him want to cry, because he knew she cared about him, even if only so much. It also made him want to turn around and push her against the wall and fuck her. He wanted to see her breasts bouncing as he shoved into her, to hear her shouting, to feel her hands on his back, to feel her ass against his fingers as he let her wrap his legs around him.

That tantalizing hand was in his hair now, playing with it, and then Bella leaned over. He could feel her knees against his back. She laughed, and that made him open his eyes. "What?"

She answered, but he couldn't hear her, he could only see her lips moving. He'd made the mistake of looking straight into her eyes. Those dark, chocolate eyes he could drown in...

_I'm a goner!_

__

_Bella's POV_

When Mike started flirting with her again, and Jessica was frowning at her across the campfire, Bella couldn't stand it anymore. This happened every single time they went to the beach, it seemed. Mike would stare at her in her swimsuit (a new one, this time, but Bella had made sure not to get a two-piece), and Jessica would get jealous.

Angela and the others were occupied, swimming, reading. Bella refused to let Mike and Jessica ruin her day. Edward was out hunting, and so she had accepted the beach invite. Now she wished she hadn't.

"I'm going to go see Jacob," she grumbled, and tossed her stuff in her car. By the time Mike stood up to protest, Bella was already in the truck.

She smiled as her truck rumbled down the road. It would be nice to see Jacob again. She hadn't seen him in a while. The last time he'd talked to her, he was doing well, teaching the new werewolves who was boss (Sam had given him that job, and he was very proud of it), and scouting the forest for danger every week.

Bella liked to see Jacob excited. She liked to see him happy. She shoved away the thoughts in her mind, that when Jacob laughed, she felt so warm. When he grinned, he was even, well...beautiful, she thought. In a different way than Edward. Edward was cold and glorious, like a god.

Jacob, on the other hand, was warm...his skin was silky smooth, and his voice was loud and sweet and sometimes, soft in her ear. She liked how he held her close, even though she made sure to protest against it, when he shielded her from the evening wind after a beach walk. They hadn't had any of those in a long time.

"Maybe we'll make lunch together," she said to herself.

The truck groaned as she parked it on a slight incline, and hopped out. Jacob wasn't outside? Usually she would find him outside in the garage on a nice, sunny day like this. Or he was out with his pack, goofing around at Emily's, or scouting with Sam.

Instead, there was no sign of Jacob. She knocked on the door loudly. "Jake? Billy?"

Nothing. A note was pinned to the door in Billy's scrawled handwriting - _Gone fishing. Back for dinner at 7. Grilled cheese?_

Bella laughed, and turned the knob. So Jacob was home.

She peered towards the kitchen to her left, but it was empty. Dropping her bag in the hallway, she kicked off her shoes. Was Jake watching TV? Nope. No lanky form draped itself gracefully across the couch. She turned down the hall and knocked on Jacob's door. What was he up to?

The door opened when she pushed it, and there was Jacob. He lay sprawled across the bed, one arm flung across his face against the sunlight that peeked through the curtains. A huge pile of blankets lay over him, and Bella wondered why. Jacob's temperature was unnaturally high already, and it was a warm day, why the blankets?

"Hey, Jake. I figured I'd come by and see what you're up to. Let's go biking or something."

No reply. Bella walked around to the side of the bed. Jacob's chest rose and fell evenly in a deep sleep. His dark hair was mussed. It was a little long now, curling around the nape of his neck. The blankets were very rumpled around him, and Bella wondered how long it had been since he'd left his bed. He had the blanket pulled across his torso a little, but she could still see the broad shoulders, the lean, muscled torso. His skin shone in the light, a rich russet.

Bella reached out and stroked a finger across Jacob's brow. "Jacob. JACOB. Wake up! JAKE."

That got a mumble, and then Jacob opened his eyes. Just the sight of them made Bella lose her breath a little. Why had she not visited him sooner again? She missed him. Was he ill? He lay there, still, just staring at her.

"Jake, what's wrong? You're burning hot." His forehead was alarmingly warm against her hand.

Jacob sat up, and put his face in his hands. "Bella," he groaned, "I'm not feeling so great." His voice was hoarse with sleep. He seemed tense, Bella noticed, as she laid a hand on his shoulder.

To her surprise, he lay back down and turned away. That was strange for Jacob. Usually he was receptive to her, even if he was having a bad day. The last time he'd been like this was when...Bella's breath caught in her throat. Was he experiencing another part of being a werewolf? She remembered how he had faked sick when he was first experiencing the symptoms of a werewolf; this time, she was sure, was also fake.

Plus, he was burning hot! Jacob was always burning hot, but he was even hotter now. "What's going on, Jake?"

He didn't answer. Now Bella was worried. Something was definitely wrong with him. Why did he want nothing to do with her? It wasn't like he was contagious.

Determined, Bella sat down on the bed and leaned over. She stroked the back of her hand across his cheek, and then up into his hair. She hoped Jacob was alright. He was so dear to her, dearer than he knew. She wanted him to be alright. She wanted to help!

She laughed at herself. This was the sort of thing that always seemed to happen to her. She always wanted to help Jacob, and Edward, but her limitations always caught up with her. Still, she would try all she could.

Jacob turned his head and opened his eyes. Bella looked straight at him, trying to smile reassuringly.

"What?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing...I'm just laughing at myself. This old lady is so silly, sometimes."

Something changed as Jacob looked into her eyes. A frown crossed Jacob's face, and then he sat up, and turned to face her. She stared at him, puzzled, and then suddenly he leaned in and kissed her.

This kiss was different from any Bella had ever had. It was hungry. Jacob's mouth pressed against hers, again and again, and when she tried to pull away he grabbed her chin and pulled her into another kiss. His mouth was warm against hers, his lips soft. He licked her mouth with his tongue, and it was hot, and then that heat and wet was in her mouth, devouring her, pressing into her and taking everything it could.

Bella was breathless in the face of it, her chest heaving for breath. She moaned as that tongue caressed every inch of her mouth, and then slipped against her own tongue. She had never felt so wanted, so needed. It made her heart pound and she realized she liked this. She liked this force, this hunger. It was so different than Edward's careful, precise kisses, and the quick way he ended them.

She pushed her hands against Jacob's chest, trying to get him to stop for his own sake. This wasn't right! But secretly she enjoyed this, his force. He pushed her hands away, gently for his strength, and then his mouth was on her neck, sucking a hot, wet trail down, down...Bella squirmed in his arms as he held her still. She couldn't move!

Jacob's mouth continued its ministrations, traveling down past her collarbone. Bella gasped as his nose pressed into her cleavage. What was he doing? "Jake!" she shouted. "What are doing, you idiot -"

Her words crumpled in her mouth as his tongue brushed against her cleavage, licking into the valley between her breasts. With a groan he turned his head, and Bella's eyes widened as Jacob's mouth went over a nipple. He began to suck and lick over it with his tongue. Sudden warmth filled her belly.

She could feel his strength like a rock against her as she dug her fingers into his shoulders, trying to get him to stop. This wasn't right. Jacob shouldn't touch her this way. Only Edward could. She ignored the way her body wanted it, asked her to let him continue.

"Jacob Black! Stop it, don't do this -" Her voice cracked, broke. She knew she was nothing against his strength and this sudden frenzy of desire.

Then, he stopped. He pulled away, gasping, and fell back against the bed. Bella scrambled back, and stood on shaky legs.

Jacob lay on the bed, his chest heaving for breath. He clenched the blankets so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Bella could see from where she stood the way he fought for control, his face in one moment twisted in agony and then his expression was blank. She didn't like that blank expression. It scared her.

Slowly, Jacob sat up. His eyes were dark with anguish, his mouth twisted. "Bells..."

She wanted to hug him, to take him in her arms, at the sound of that agonized voice. But she made herself stay. Her eyes stared at the woodwork of the floor as he spoke.

"Bells, let me explain. I...this...I-I'm sorry I...you have every right to be furious. But, I didn't...it wasn't...oh, I can't say it wasn't ME, Bella!"

He stared up at her. His hands grabbed at his hair in frustration.

"I can't say it wasn't me," he growled, "because I love you, Bella. I want you. I would be lying if I said anything different. But..." He lay back down, wrapping himself in blankets once more as if that would protect her or him.

"But that wasn't something I would have done if I were feeling at all sane right now. I'm going through a new stage in this whole werewolf thing, and it's driving me absolutely mad. I can't talk to anyone else about it, because if I get close to them, they'll go ballistic on me and rape me or something. Sam said it would last three days, and I'm on day two...it's not your fault you showed up now. I always like seeing you, Bells. I just...can't seem to hold onto any sensibility, at the moment..."

He looked up at her then, and Bella could feel a flush burn her cheeks. She wondered if that made him want her more. No, he wasn't a vampire, the blush wouldn't bring desire to him. Inside of her, she felt torn. Part of her wanted to stay and help. It was the determined, fearless part that said _this is my friend. I've got to help him._

Another part of her was the quiet, embarrassed part that hated birthdays. It didn't want to run the risk of anything happening. It said that she should leave, that this was like..._well, wait, _she thought. _It's not like Edward, because I'm doing fine with Edward. If I can survive around a bloodthirsty vampire who says my blood sings to him, surely I can survive a werewolf in heat, right?_

That voice was strengthened by another part of her, which knew that she wanted him, too. Bella wanted both Edward and Jacob. She couldn't help it. They were both beautiful. But Edward wanted to wait. Bella was so tired of waiting.

At the same time, she couldn't imagine giving in to Jacob - that would only give him misery later. Besides, it would be a betrayal of Edward's trust. Edward had held back for so long. He resisted the temptation that wore him down, that of her blood, every day. Couldn't she resist this temptation this one time?

Jacob _was _difficult to resist. His body was stretched out before her on the bed, and he was beautiful. That long torso, the muscled arms, the graceful curve of his neck, the way his hair curled around his ears a little now...she loved it all. He seemed determined to cover his legs with blankets - _is he sleeping naked? No, I can see the belt of his jeans there - _but that familiar face, those full lips that had kissed her with such warmth and hunger..._Stop it! Stop it right now! _Bella told herself. _Don't let it get out of hand._

So Bella decided she would help Jacob, and would not let it get out of hand. She would act like normal, and be extra careful not to touch him. If she left, he would be agonized by what he had done, and even more miserable than before. Bella couldn't stand the thought of leaving Jacob miserable.

"Let's go eat lunch," she said. "I'll stay a little longer."

__

_Jacob's POV_

As he followed Bella out of his room, Jacob had to admit that he was hungry. His stomach rumbled in reminder, and so he willingly followed her out to the kitchen. She started to take things out of the fridge, but he couldn't bear to sit and watch, knowing what it would do to him.

"Let me do it," he said. It came out as a bit of a growl. She just smiled, a little, and let go of the fridge door.

She sat down at the table, and Jacob determinedly got up and started getting down the rest of the sandwich things. Mustard, lettuce, tomato. He sliced the tomato a little quickly, and nicked his thumb in the process. "Ouch."

He knew she was watching him, but Jacob tried not to think of that too much. It would make him hot and hard again. It would make him go crazy.

When he'd looked into her eyes, he'd totally lost it. So as he made their sandwiches, piece by piece, Jacob was determined not to look at Bella. _Not looking. Nope. Don't even think about it._

He sliced her sandwich in half and handed the plate over.

"Thanks, Jake."

She was always thanking him. That was great and all, sure, but what about everything she had done for him? _He_ should be thanking _her_. Bella was his best friend. She was here with him now, at a trying time, when he had no one. She had been with him when he used to think Sam was a gang leader. She had become close enough that he could reveal his fear to her. She had become close enough that he could hug her and comfort her and both of them were fine with it.

_Now I can't even bloody touch her without going nuts. Pathetic._ He sat down at the couch, letting her grab the remote and flick the television on. His eyes gazed at it without really seeing, and he tried to focus on the taste of his sandwich.

But all he could think of was the distance between them. She sat at the other end of the couch, as far away as possible from him. Jacob knew it was for his own good, and hers, but he couldn't help feeling a little wounded. He'd gone and made himself a monster that much, hadn't he?

The wildness he'd been trying to keep in had leapt out when he looked into her eyes. It had just taken one second - wham! - and Jacob hadn't even been thinking anymore. All he'd been able to think about was touching her. It wasn't even about having her be his, or pick him. All he'd wanted was to taste her. Touch her.

He didn't want what was inside her, her blood, like Cullen did. He wanted the outside, every bit of it, from her slow smile that he could always draw out, to her breasts, to the shape of her hips against his (like earlier) and the bruises on her ankles. He wanted all of that.

It had used to be more innocent, but this wild heat inside him...it made Jacob's thoughts lose all innocence.

He finished his sandwich and tried not to look at her. Some joke was being said on television, but Jacob couldn't hear it. He could hear his heart pounding. He could practically _feel_ her moving, even though she was a couple feet away. He imagined it - the brush of her thighs together, what would it be like to put his hand there, to let it slip in...? He wanted to bury his face in her breasts again, to pull that moan from her again.

"Damn it," he whispered. Within the next second he had scooted over, and slung one arm around her shoulders. There. That was innocent enough. Right?

He didn't dare look at her face to see what she thought. She kept eating, wiped her mouth with one hand, and then, deliberately, slowly, placed her hands to one side of her lap. Oho, she was good. She didn't put them on her thighs, which would get him thinking about them. She didn't put them anywhere near him. She just nestled them, together, against her right hip, shoved up against the couch arm. Was she afraid?

Jacob decided to ask. He discovered his voice was low and husky from so much sleep still, as he said, "Am I scaring you?"

"No, Jake." She determinedly stared at the TV. It made him a little angry, but he told that feeling to shut the fuck up. He didn't need to phase right now!

"Why aren't you scared, Bella? Doesn't anything scare you? ...You were scared...when Cullen left. Doesn't the presence of something ever scare you, or is it only the absence?"

She coughed, shifted away from his arm a little, and then said, "You did scare me a little earlier, Jake. Your eyes looked blank, for a second, when you were lying there...but now you're back. Can you get your arm off of me? It's like having a burning log on my neck, kind of."

"Oh. Sorry."

So she had been scared of him. But, silly Bella, she'd been more scared _for_ him than of him, or for herself.

Jacob had never felt as awkward with Bella as he did now. Usually he was easygoing with her. It was fun. Usually, he made her feel better about things, when Cullen had treated her badly. Now though, Jacob was screwing it all up. Should he just ask her to leave? He _had_ scared her, after all.

"If...if it had felt more like...like me, in control, when I kissed you earlier, would you have liked it?"

Somehow, Jacob just had to take every opening window his wishful thinking gave him a glimpse of. He knew it was wishful thinking, but still...

His question was met with a long, long silence. Jacob thought, surely she wanted to leave now. Instead though, Bella kicked at her plate on the floor forlornly, and then whispered, "Jacob, I...I should lie to you, right now, for my own sake and yours, but...I can't lie to you, so I'm going to say it. I did like your kiss, earlier. You...you were great."

Jacob felt like his heart had leapt around, all of a sudden. It was making a hard beat against his chest, and he pressed his hand there, as if it would leap out of his body. She had liked his kiss! She...she had liked the force of it? The way he had licked her mouth? The way he had let all of his desire for her show? Oh, god...Jacob pushed his hands against the couch, biting his lip. It was starting again. But he had to control it. He wanted be himself for her, not some wild horny monster.

It took every ounce of his will to turn to her and look her in the eye, and then keep his hands off of her. "Thanks, Bella," he said, and he couldn't help a grin coming to his face.

Then he kissed her again.

She opened her mouth to him this time. She actually kissed him back. He tried to make the kiss gentle, but he couldn't. It lasted only a moment, before he was crazy again, kissing her like it was the last thing he'd ever do in his life. He didn't mind if it was. She tasted like cinnamon, and smelled like flowers. Her mouth was cold, like the ocean, salty, until his tongue entered and it became hot. He kissed her slowly, drawing it out, taking a breath before diving in again.

Bella moaned into the kiss, and that was when Jacob couldn't help but touch her. He slid one arm around her waist, and pulled her over to sit in his lap. Her left side was against his chest. Her butt was soft over his thighs, even through the jeans he wore, and he fought back the urge to push his aching cock against that softness.

He let go of her waist, and instead stroked her hair. That turned into stroking his hand down her whole body, over the swell of breasts, across the short hair on her legs, all the way down them, to clasp her feet. Then he stopped kissing her. He bit her bottom lip, and then his mouth drifted over her cheek and down to her ear. He licked over the shell of it with his tongue. She made a strange sound at that, half a gasp, half an upset groan.

Then she pushed herself away, off of him, and sat like a curled turtle at the corner of the couch. She drew her legs up in front of her like some sort of shield.

Jacob fell back against the couch, and scooted over to his side of it. "Bella…maybe you should go."

It hurt him to say it. He felt all the joy he'd just experienced with holding her dissipate and crumble, like a fortress that had been defeated by an angry army. He closed his eyes, and sighed. The animal in him was impossible to hold back right now. It wouldn't stop. He hated himself for his lack of control, but at the same time, he knew Bella wouldn't want him to be hurting, to be self-hating. So he opened his eyes and took a deep breath, mustering his strength.

He thought he might have managed to look normal as he stood up. Smiling a little, he held out his hand. "I'll accompany you to the door."

A myriad of emotions crossed Bella's face. He could see she was reluctant – but in what way? Was it that she didn't want to touch him? Or was it that she didn't want to leave? He hoped for the latter, but knew it was probably the former. He had mistreated her badly today, and hoped she could forgive him for it. Part of him was saying. _So now kissing is mistreatment? How stupid! There's nothing wrong with kissing the woman I love! Kiss her again!_

But the coldness in his belly said, _She doesn't want it. You want to make her happy, don't you? Back off. Even though it hurts._

Instead of accepting his hand, Bella stood up and crossed the room. "Jake…I'm absolutely freezing, but I know…I know you can't hold me right now."

'_I know you can't hold me right now.'_ Jacob clenched his hands into fists at his sides. How he wanted to hold her! He wanted to hold her and comfort her like he always had, but this time he was the monster, and he the source of any mixed feelings or disappointment in her. Her words were like crushing blocks of iron weighing him down.

"Let me just change really quick before I go."

He nodded dismally, and as soon as she had grabbed her bag from the hallway and shut the bathroom door, he collapsed back onto the couch. Damn it!

__

_**Please review!** I want to know what you think. =D_


	2. Chapter 2

WHOA! I upload this one day, and the next day, I have 10 reviews, just like that! =D Thank you soo much!

**CRESCENT MOON**

by The Ultimate Otaku

CHAPTER TWO

Bella's POV

Bella stared at herself in the mirror. She hated her heart and the stupid, petty way it worked. It got so confused. She loved Jacob, but she loved Edward. She wanted Edward, but right now, she wanted Jacob.

She wanted Jacob more than she had ever wanted him before. In his warm, passionate embrace, in his lusty kiss, she found a freedom that she had never experienced with Edward. Jacob, she could kiss back. Jacob had no restraint right now, or so little, so she hated to take advantage of him. She had the power, here. With Edward, he had to restrain himself daily. He tried to make her feel better, feel equal to him, but she couldn't help being human, being weak. Now, she had power over Jacob. She had his heart. Would she toss it to the ground and leave it?

No. She couldn't. Besides, Jacob's body was a whole different matter than the heart. Jacob's body…

Bella bit her lip, and watched as the blood trickled down her chin because she bit it so hard. Jacob was absolutely stunning. Even being so tall, he moved like a cat. His skin glowed with life and color. His muscles rippled with every move he made, and his smile shining on her was like a lighthouse beacon that symbolized salvation and life.

When he kissed her, Bella felt so alive. It was different from kissing Edward. When Edward kissed her, she wanted her whole world to be Edward. She wanted him to never stop, and had no self-restraint. Edward became her whole world.

When Jacob kissed her, Bella was keenly aware of herself. She noticed the way her body reacted. It exulted in her acknowledgment of herself. Jacob made her feel beautiful, made her feel strong and needed and wanted, wanted so much. In his lack of restraint with her, in his inability to disguise his need, Jacob was vulnerable. The fact that he was willing – even when he was in a normal condition, unlike today – to bare his heart so much to her…it made Bella feel loved. Special.

Around Edward, it was Edward who was the special one. Bella did not think of herself. Her world became him. She became what he wanted. He was open with her, but she knew he did not tell her everything.

It was a contrast to the honesty with which Jacob showed her how much he needed her. He needed _her_, in her every imperfection. She felt no need to be different around Jacob, whereas around Edward, she couldn't help but feel unworthy. There was no shadow around Jacob; there was no thought of, _I'm not good enough._ Every moment with Jacob brought with it the realization of how loved she was.

Jacob had made Bella's heart overflow with joy and happiness, in all the warmth he gave her. He had comforted her. She had at first disliked his attempts to win her, because she thought they would wreck their friendship, and it was unfaithful to Edward. But lately…lately, she had seen the beauty in Jacob, and wanted it.

She wanted it now. The way his kisses made her moan, it just slipped out of her. His hands touched her reverently. He made her feel so beautiful. He made her realize how her heart was pounding. When he had touched her, put his mouth to her, every inch of her body had felt so entirely alive. Bella had never felt so alive before. She had never thought of herself and her body so much.

She stood back from the mirror and peeled the wet swimsuit from her shoulders. Her mirror self stared back at her, cupping her round breasts, turning to trace a finger down her spine. Then she stripped the swimsuit and shorts from her body. Her skin was cold where it had been wetted by the ocean.

Shivering, Bella pulled on her panties and was just tugging her jeans on when Jacob's voice came from the other side of the door.

"Bella? Are you…almost done?"

Bella forced her voice to be light and easy. "Yes. I'll be out in a minute."

_Does he want me to leave so badly? _Then she forced that thought away. It was no use being angry with Jacob. He couldn't help the state he was in. Besides, she had only made it worse by telling him how she liked his kiss; it had been a lie. She had _loved_ his kiss.

She wondered what it would be like if he touched her other places…what it would be like to give up all the careful plans and throw away all the things holding her back. What about living? She wanted to feel again that keen awareness of herself that Jacob gave her.

_It's a stupid idea. I'm just walking into trouble with these ideas in my brain. I should leave._

Jacob's voice came from the door again. It was strained. "Bella, are you dressed yet?"

She looked at her dark, wide eyes in the mirror, and then turned to look at the wooden door. "I'm halfway there," she said, flipping her hair back behind her shoulder. "Why?" It was a stupid question, but she couldn't help asking it. Something was rising up within her, a teasing, strong part of her. She missed the Jacob she could make jibes at. This Jacob was so tense. She wanted to see him smile more.

"Why?" He laughed, but it was a hoarse bark. "Tell me what you're wearing."

His boldness made Bella feel like this was normal Jacob. She knew that was a facade, though.

"I've got my underwear on, and my jeans," she said. A smirk came unbidden to her lips.

"Hmm…are they those ones with the rips in the knees, from when you got dragged by the bike way back when?"

Bella smiled to hear Jacob's light chuckle. "No," she answered. "They're new. They're a darker color. Tight on me. Renee wanted me to get some new clothes."

There was a long pause, and then Bella heard a thump, and a swwwsshhh sound. She imagined Jacob's shoulder hitting the door lightly and then his pants grazing against the door's surface as he sat down. His voice came a little louder now, and she thought she was right.

"Have you got it all on now, Bells? …What kind of bra?"

She held it up, and then put it on. She didn't know if she liked that he'd asked that or not. The snap closed with a loud sound that struck through the air. "It's turquoise," she said simply.

"You put it on, didn't you," he said. She heard a strange huffing sigh come from him.

"Shoot. It got tangled in my hair." She could see it in the mirror, and when she bent her head forward, it tugged her hair painfully. Jacob was distracting.

"Do you want help?" Jacob asked. In his voice suddenly was that boy she had known, so long ago, who had told her laughingly about the cold ones, and had been so susceptible to her bad flirting. Desperate. Adorable.

"Jacob," Bella sighed, and the sound was sad.

A loud thump came from the other side of the door, and then a crackling bang. Bella stepped back as suddenly, with a loud – CRUNCH! – the door collapsed inward. It broke into chunks and splintering pieces scattered across the floor. Jacob stood in the doorway, staring at her.

He marched forward determinedly, and Bella made sure to stand tall. She wouldn't let him intimidate her again (maybe if she showed some backbone this time he would stop?). Jacob wrapped his arms around her. That was too much. A sob broke from Bella's throat. She wanted so much to be able to kiss him, to be able to want him without breaking his heart or Edward's.

"Shhh, Bells. Shhh." Jacob stroked her head with one hand, hugging her to his chest. She laughed through her tears as he undid the clasp of her bra, and then gently pulled the hair strands free. He let go of her and reached his other hand around, trying to re-do the bra's clasp.

"Damn it…I've never…worked one of these things…"

Bella couldn't help it, she started laughing, and as she collapsed to sit on the carpeted floor Jacob started laughing, too.

"Shit, I'm useless, aren't I?" He laughed, wiped sweaty palms on his jeans, and then sat down across from her.

Bella nodded, still laughing. When she opened her eyes from laughing, Jacob was suddenly very close. He was on all fours in front of her, and his mouth hovered by her left ear.

"Bella," he whispered. "I love you, you know. I would never hurt you. Why were you crying a second ago?"

"I…I…I make trouble for myself, that's all," she whispered. She didn't want to mention Edward, or heartbreak, to Jacob.

It would only bring him pain. He was always fiercely protecting her, but Bella wanted to protect Jacob, too. She wanted to protect his heart, not just because he was her sun. She genuinely wanted him not to be emotionally hurt. The thought of breaking his heart, eclipsing that sun, made a pang physically shoot through her chest.

His tongue was on her ear then, and he nibbled a delicate track over the shell of her ear. Bella couldn't breathe anymore. His heat was so close; she could feel her previously cold body warming. He had one hand on her knee, and its tight grip was all that signaled to her how difficult a time he was having holding himself back from doing more. His hair tickled her as his light kisses fell down her neck and lower. The bra fell away, as she lifted her arms outward, and let his warm, large hand dip between her breasts to yank it off. It got tossed somewhere.

Then Jacob's tongue was on her, and he moaned with an acute pleasure that had Bella's hair standing on end, as he licked over her breasts. She squeaked as his hot tongue licked over her nipple, and then he took it in his mouth. She heard herself groaning in some distant land, felt her hand coasting over his shoulder again and again, finally clasping the back of his head, as his mouth gently suckled at her.

When he sucked harder, Bella gasped his name, "Jake," and her back arched a little. She didn't mind that his hand had wandered down, down her side to cup her bottom. Somewhere he had slid her pants down to rumple at her feet. His hand was warm, and his thumb made little circles of heat above her hip. A warmth was heating in her belly, and further south, between her thighs.

Jacob kissed her breasts, suckled the other, and then he was kissing her again. Both of his hands moved down to grasp her buttocks, his hot fingertips pressing at the cotton cloth of her panties. He started to pull her up, up to stand, and by the time she was moaning into his mouth they were both standing. He was close enough that her breasts brushed his chest, and she put her hands on his hips because it felt natural like that. She knew the hard heat in his jeans as the core of his lust, and it was a hot rod against her belly, but even that didn't make her want to pull away. It only made her heart beat wildly within her, and it made the place between her legs itch and ache a little.

"Mmm, Bella," Jacob breathed. In the next moment he had picked her up off the ground, and she clung to him willingly, warmed by his heat. Her body felt tingly and fuzzy with lust. Jacob smelled like pine and earth.

He lay her down on the soft pile of blankets on his bed. That made her nervous, so she sat up a little. Somehow she had liked it better when they were in the bathroom. The bedroom had too many connotations. She didn't like it. It was too…_Too much a reminder of where this is going?_

She told that voice in her head to be quiet, because she caught out of the corner of her eye, the crestfallen look on Jacob's face. _You got yourself here because you wanted this, remember? _She did. But not here, in his room, on his bed…it was too attached to other things, that reminded her of all the heartbreak that she didn't want to think about. She wanted to allow Jacob's sun to warm her, and she wanted to not be distracted, so that she could in turn make him happy.

"Jake…"

She looked away from him, past him and out the window. There was the beach, the beautiful beach. Maybe if she were there she would feel more peaceful. The beach was their place, anyway.

Standing up, Bella gave Jake a mischievous smile.

"Bells, that look is evil. What are you plotting?"

"Is there any place we can be…outside? Hidden by the ocean and the trees?"

He stared at her for a moment, stunned, and then said slowly, "Yeah…yeah. You coming like that?"

Bella blushed, and it felt awkward and simultaneously good to see how Jake watched her blush. It was with thirst, yes, but the thirst of want, of love, too. Before she could think about it more she grabbed her jeans from the bathroom, and a shirt of his and slung it all on.

They walked outside, and Jacob peered around before turning to her. She knew he was sniffing for others around. "Coast clear," he said.

She noticed how he held his arms out for her, gently, with that wide, beautiful smile shining down on her.

_This is your moment, Bella, _she told herself. _Now or never._

She stepped into his embrace and let him lift her up, to be carried like a bride over the threshold of the steps exiting the porch.

She couldn't resist his smile, and allowed him to hold her in his arms the entire way out along the beach. As the ocean sped by, and the sand, and the first few trees, Bella thought, _I got him to smile._

_Jacob's POV _

He had never seen anything quite as beautiful as Bella. They were on the beach, right by a little cove with a dark cave. The trees sheltered them from the wind, and in front of them lay the ocean. Bella lay on the sand, exulting in the sunlight of this strangely warm day in Forks; although La Push did tend to be a bit warmer. They lay on a thick blanket, with another on the side just in case she got really cold (although Jacob doubted she would, with him here). Her hair was splayed out all around her, a dark cloud surrounding a beautiful moon. She had a smile on her face, and her hand reached out to clasp his as he kissed her, gently this time, on the lips.

"Bella, you're beautiful," he said. He couldn't believe she was here, on the beach with him, with her clothes half off. He was getting everything that the wild animal in him wanted. Was it right? He didn't know. All he knew was that it was good, so good.

She let him pull his shirt off of her.

Her skin was like porcelain, smooth and pale. It glided like silk against his mouth as he kissed her breasts. He took off her jeans, too, and she lay before him in only her panties. They were a dark blue color.

He wondered to himself if Bella liked the things he had fantasized in his dreams of her. Would she like to be spanked? (Lightly, by his strength, he reminded himself). If he pushed her up against a tree and fucked her senseless, would she yell his name in pleasure? Jacob felt his cock twitch just at the idea. He moaned, and unbidden his hand moved down to stroke the tent in his trousers, just for a moment.

When he looked back up, he realized Bella was watching him. A flush flooded his cheeks. Bella's cheeks were flush too, the pale now a little pink. He let her grab his arms and pull him down towards her, and made sure to lay gently over her, without his full weight.

Between them, Bella's hand glided down his chest. She kissed him, and then she moved to kiss his neck. It made the hairs on Jacob's body stand on end, and he moaned her name. She kissed up and down his chest, and even licked his ears. He could feel the way her hips fit against his, perfectly, and unconsciously he grinded down against her, groaning at the glorious friction. He was careful to not use his full strength; he always tried to be careful around her.

Bella had shut her eyes and was holding onto his arms tightly as Jacob grinded down on her. He felt the heat pulsing in him, bringing his breath out of him and with it, his last vestiges of control.

Jacob tried to hold it back. He heaved his body off of her and sat for a moment, panting. Then, slowly, he turned towards her. Shutting his eyes to try to hold back the urges in him telling him to go faster, Jacob slowly stroked his fingers down Bella's body. Her skin was warm and smooth beneath him.

First, he let his fingers explore her breasts. They were full and firm just the right amount, the nipples erect and sensitive; when he flipped a thumb over one, he could hear her gasping. Then he forced his fingertips down, to trace over the dip of her ribs down to her belly. He pressed around her navel and heard her laugh, and smiled.

His muscles tensed so that he could feel them rigid in his back, as his fingers drifted over the soft cotton of her panties. He could feel her trembling beside him as he traced the waistline, and then his fingers were over her hipbones. Eagerly, his breath catching, his hand moved down to her thighs. There, he reveled in her harsh breathing and occasional squeak, as he pressed them, and kneaded that skin. When his fingertips slipped between her thighs to that special, secret area, she moaned.

He couldn't handle it anymore, after that. He scrambled to undo his zipper and free his cock a little. Jesus that felt better. Then he was down between her legs, and with two hands he edged the last bit of clothing from her.

**Please review** this chapter, too? I love getting feedback. Who doesn't? And I really am trying to make this interesting, if not original. Is it working?


	3. Chapter 3

_Thank you all SO SO much for all the reviews! I am dumbfounded! Here is chapter 3. I will try to update sooner from now on. Please keep the reviews coming! ;D_

**CRESCENT MOON**

**by The Ultimate Otaku**

_Chapter three_

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOOXOX_

_Jacob's POV_

_With two hands he edged the last bit of clothing from her._

She was gorgeous. There were no descriptions of goddesses, no porn stars or amount of playboy magazine women, could compare to a naked Bella lying in front of him, ready and wanting. She was breathless and, he could see in her gaze, shy. He felt suddenly inexperienced. What if he couldn't pleasure her enough?

But then his hand, of its own lusty accord, crept over the soft tendrils of hair between her thighs, and suddenly his finger was dipping into her soft, hot core. She gasped as he sunk it in deep, and Jacob felt his entire body trembling. Around his finger, her body was so hot and soft. It gave so much. It held him so tight. He added in another quickly, and as he did, he could see she bit her bottom lip. He could feel her wiggling slightly above him, twisting to get a better angle. Obediently he dipped his fingers in at a different angle, deeper, and he pressed harder. A low whimper came from her throat. He knew she had lost control, too, and that was almost enough to make him shoot his load then and there.

When he put a third finger in, he started to openly thrust them in and out of her, pushing into her heat. Bella was moaning now, squirming still. He could feel her feet kicking unconsciously at him, and it made him lose his focus. So he pulled his fingers out.

Staring at her, half teasing and half entranced himself, Jacob let his wet fingers slide into his mouth and taste her. She blushed crimson, and said, "Jacob, I didn't know you had it in you."

He felt embarrassed, and mumbled, "Only when it's you."

Then he lost his focus and his eyes just drank in the sight of her. He felt he was losing himself in the heat of lust again, and suddenly his head was between her thighs. Some subconscious part of him said _this is too damn fast_, but he ignored it and licked deep in her.

She tasted so good. Perfect. She was hot and wet against his tongue, gliding and so smooth and soft. When he licked over that special nub, hard, his name came from her mouth in a long, low moan. He wanted to hear that again. Her ass was smooth against his fingers, and he squeezed it, before lightly skimming her thighs with gentle touches.

Jacob thrust his tongue into her heat, again and again. She was tight against him, and so warm. Jesus he wanted to fuck her right now now now. He felt the heat inside of him roaring, raising its head up higher and higher, his cock was so tight and her sounds were so good in his ears – He realized he was lapping at her, hard and deep and long. He felt her thighs clench over him, and she was a moaning mess that he just had to lift his head up to see, to watch her rising and then falling from orgasm. _He _had given her that, that beautiful crazy look on her face, not some Cullen bloodsucker.

Watching her expression was enough to make Jacob reach his peak, too, and when he was done he fell back against the blanket, panting. God that felt good, to feel that rush burst and then finally dissipate. An emptiness and raw need that had been aching inside of him ebbed a little, when he came. He relaxed with that feeling as he hadn't since he had started being in heat, and lay heavily. His muscles were finally relaxed. He put his pants back on in a daze, and sat staring at the sky.

It returned far too soon though, mere minutes later. His lust was still burning in him. He felt it in him as a hard, tight yearning, constantly gnawing at him and telling him, he was never finished. It fought itself back into him, he tried to keep it at bay, but he couldn't. _Bella is here,_ it told him. _There is more to explore. Explore it all. Take it all. She's yours!_

Jacob lifted his head up when he realized Bella was saying something.

"Jacob, Jake, come here," she said.

He slithered his body up to lay his head by hers. "Hmm?" He felt groggy as her voice pulled him from the thickening stupor of lust.

"You…you're…thank you," she murmured. He put his hand gently against her head as she nuzzled against his chest. This. This was what he _really_ wanted, he realized.

"You liked it?" His heart thumped in a desperate plea for her to say yes. He wanted to make sure to please her.

Her hair scratched against his chest in something like a nod, and then she said quietly, "Yes. But I was losing you, Jake, in that last part. I want _you_, not just some…uncontrolled…sensation."

She wanted him. She wanted HIM. Jacob grinned.

Even so, as she pressed her body closer, it took all of Jacob's strength to not shove her down and take her. His cock was a throbbing ache again. That he had gotten used to, but with her every move against him, unconsciously she was making it ache more. What was more, he could smell her wetness, the lust scent in the air a sweet tang, and knew for certain she had enjoyed the way he had touched her.

Bella pulled back, and Jacob looked at her. She smiled, and then her small hand was drifting over his neck, down to his chest. She let it lay there, and he closed his eyes as she leaned in. A gasp came from his lips as a warm, soft little tongue sucked his ear a moment, and then kissed down his chest. He groaned loudly, shaking, as the hand on his chest inched down, down to rest over the bulge in his jeans.

For a moment she let it lay there, but that moment felt like eons. He grunted when her hand started moving, rubbing over the bulge in quick, circular movements. Mmm, it was good, but torture!

"Bella," he begged, "PLEASE."

Jacob threw his head back, panting, as Bella's small, determined hand undid the buckle on his belt, and unzipped his jeans. Then that adventurous hand shoved his jeans down his hips, taking the boxers unintentionally with them. (He knew it was unintentional, because she gasped, "Oh").

That made him laugh, and she laughed, too. "Who's the clumsy old lady, hmm?" he joked.

Then she sat up, and he watched as her eyes roved over him. He shuddered as that small, soft hand brushed up his leg. She bent down. All he could see was her hair, and assumedly she was looking at him. Jacob wondered what was running through her mind. Just having her looking at his cock, looking so curiously and closely, made his whole body sweat and his cock fully attentive.

Her gentle fingertips traced a scar on his left thigh. Jacob could feel them trembling over him, and he reached a hand out to brush through her hair. But the more she looked at him, the more that tenderness left him, and he just wanted her _now._ He tried to shut up the raging inside him and remain normal.

"Where did you get this?" Bella asked about the scar.

Jacob didn't want to talk. He wanted her mouth on him. He wanted to see his cock between her lips, to see her mouth in a soft round perfect O…

"I, it was one of the boys," he grunted. "Fighting with me. I won."

She patted his thigh, saying, "Congrats."

He looked up at her, and saw her silently laughing at his show of male bravado. He laughed, too. "Yeah, thanks."

She caught his eye and held it for a long, long look. It made him feel suddenly even more powerless, a doll to her beauty and her control, the type of control he couldn't have ever, it seemed. He always ran his mouth off and just did things. Finally he'd run his mouth off and done something and somehow that had led him to this? No, he told himself. _You only have her here, right now, because of her. It's all her. She…she has some feelings for you, and you're lucky for it. Keep her here._

The serious moment was broken as Bella laughed at herself, saying, "I don't know what the hell I'm doing, Jake. I'm just going with the flow…but uh, I'm not very flowing." Her hand shook against his thigh.

Jacob laughed, saying, "That's no problem for me, Bells. I just want you so much, I…" He looked away, embarrassed. He'd blurted everything, again.

She smiled, and it was one of those beautiful, enchanting slow smiles that always stole away any sensibilities he had and sent him bowling rashly headlong into any danger or trouble that would get him time with her. Damn that smile.

"You're beautiful, Jake," she whispered. He watched the flush that came to her cheeks then, a deep pink. He watched the way her hand shook as it stroked his thigh, and he watched the rise and fall of her breasts. Oh, the sweet pink of her nipples, of her lips, that heat of her on his tongue…

He bit his lip as her hand swept gently up the length of his cock, and then down. A sound came from him as she stroked slowly with her fingertips, up and down, up and down. Jacob couldn't stop himself then. Reaching for her hand, he took it, and eased her hand to wrap around his cock. The friction of her skin against him made him lose his breath.

He let his hand drift off. It surprised him when her thumb eased over the head of his cock, when it pressed and dallied there, and then just as suddenly he felt the hot slickness of her tongue wetting his length in one long stroke. He swore loudly and dug his fists into the sand beneath their blanket, as her tongue began a series of small licks. She explored his cock thoroughly, licking over every inch of it, and finally she took him in the sweet wet heat of her mouth.

God it was good. Jacob couldn't hear himself or feel anything, all he was, was his cock, aching and throbbing underneath her caresses. He loved the way her hands slid down to grope his ass, the way her tongue moved fast and then slow, the way, when she paused to breathe, he could see her flushed face and glimpse her breasts again.

The lust was all over and in him, covering and smothering him. He knew he was losing himself in it like she didn't want him to but he didn't care, it all felt too good. When she paused for a breath again, Jacob remembered who and what he was. He was hers. He would always be hers, even if she never spoke to him again, after this.

__

_Bella's POV_

_  
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She couldn't believe she was actually doing this.

At the same time, she felt compelled to. A deep part in her knew that she had wanted this for a long time. Lust was a natural thing, a hunger in her that she had gotten used to repressing around Edward. Bella was a curious person, and she was not one to dismiss something because it scared her or made her nervous.

Denying herself got old sometimes. She hated how wrong it felt, in her mind and in her relations with Edward, to do something for _herself_. It was her own desires that made her want Jacob's body, and here she was, giving in to those desires.

Jacob's reactions sent thrills through Bella's body and made her core, where he had licked so deeply, ache. His sounds were so loud. His body was so hot and strong in front of her. His cock was big, and hot beneath her fingertips, and the more she touched it the more he was powerless before her. It was frightening and also thrilling.

When she put her mouth on him, the lust churned in her even more fiercely. All the times she had wanted to touch him…all the times she knew, _he_ would fulfill her curiosities, if only she would ask…all the times she had looked at Jacob shirtless, and secretly, deep down, wondered what he looked like without the pants, too.

It was only natural. He was a beautiful young man, with the sweetest smile, and he always tried to treat her well. It didn't help her hold herself back from making trouble for them, when he looked so good all the time.

Bella let her tongue stroke Jacob's cock in large, long sweeps. His skin was soft and salty; his cock was hard and long. When she scraped her teeth lightly up the length, he shuddered beneath her, and he tugged her hair painfully. The more she touched him, the more she wanted him. He was like a wild animal, moaning and panting, his hips bucking against her.

She knew that he thought she was beautiful, too. When she really saw how he was enamored of her, _really_ saw how much he meant it today, she didn't feel guilt. The guilt was only there when she had to repress how much she shared his feelings. When she gave into it, like now…the feeling was joy. She felt her entire body exulting in it, in the feeling of being with Jacob. They were sweaty and hot and loud, but it was good. They had been holding all this back too long; her in her mind, and he, with the heat finally revealing what was there. Jacob was honest. He hadn't pretended that it was fake; he knew that the heat was bringing out the _truth_ of the situation.

When Bella's mouth sunk over the head of Jacob's cock, he groaned. She could feel his legs trembling against her, and his hands loosed their grip on her hair to push into the blanket. Slowly, Bella took his cock into her mouth, and began to suck and lick. Her hair was a crazy mass around her ears and it stuck to her forehead. Jacob's cock when it left her mouth was big and wet.

She took him in again, moaning at the heat and rush it gave her. When he moved stronger, faster against her, she handled it, even though her body was trembling, and her legs felt shaky. She threw her head back and lifted her hands to push her hair out of her eyes. Suddenly Jacob came and it landed and dripped over Bella's chest.

She stared, and then started laughing. When Jacob sat up, he stared, too, saying, "Oh shit, I'm so sorry – shit!"

She couldn't stop laughing. It was absolutely hilarious. Her whole body shook, and with laughter-shaken steps Bella stood up and walked straight into the ocean. The waves were clean and cold against her, and her whole body was cleansed.

She turned around and saw Jacob standing awkwardly at the water's edge. He scratched his head as he looked down at her, and the more she looked at him, smirking, the redder his face got.

"I'm sorry," he said again.

Bella nodded her head, and then rushing forward, she leapt up and clamped her hand over Jacob's shoulder. Before he could react, she was dunking him headfirst into the water. Her hand glided down across his wet back when he was under. When he lifted himself back up they stared at each other for a second, and Bella started giggling.

Jacob grinned. "I guess I deserved that."

She grinned back, and then silently looked at him.

Jacob was gorgeous. His body was so tall and lean, and his cheeks were rosy. He looked stunning, with his hair all wet. Rivulets of water streamed down his body, getting lost in the dips of his muscles. His hands hanging at his sides were strong, large hands with attractive long fingers. His eyes glowed with warmth. The large cock that she had somehow taken in lay between the hard, muscled thighs of a young man who was often running.

When he stepped forward and embraced her, Bella felt a pang of excitement shoot up her entire body, and make her rub her thighs together. At the same time she felt herself grinning like a silly goon because of the happiness that bubbled in her and around her.

She heard Jacob panting above her. That, and the way his hands gripped her wrists so tightly, told her how intently he had been looking at her, too. His cock was already hard as it brushed against her, and he cupped her breasts with worshipping fingers.

Her head hung down as Jacob's long fingers kneaded her breasts. Moans escaped her. Then he was bending down, and Bella gasped as he took a cold, taut nipple in his mouth. God his tongue was so warm! That hot muscle stroked and slipped all over her breast, and then when he paid attention to her nipple again, he dared to nip with his teeth just a little.

Bella heard herself groan his name from some other, rushing place, and unconsciously rubbed her thighs together again. When Jacob didn't get the hint, but continued to lick over her breasts, Bella pushed him away. He watched with an open mouth as she slid her hand down her body.

The young man was suddenly a silly but endearing boy, as he watched her fingers parting the lips, teasing herself a little, and then slipping two fingers in. Sighing, she pushed them into her harder, further, and when she twisted them it made her knees feel a bit jelly and her sounds louder.

While she touched herself, Bella heard herself murmuring, "Oh, Jacob …"

The third time she said it, her hands were swallowed by his large ones, and that wonderful tongue was treating her again. She whimpered as he licked and lapped at her, and grinded her hips down again and again. He was so good. Fast. Oh, she knew he was going crazy with it all…but at the same time, thrills shot up and down her body and in her mind, saying, _Yes, YES!_ He was that good.

She found herself crying out his name a little, "Jacob…Jake!" Some distant part of her was in wonder that this was happening, and in wonder to hear herself crying out his name. But deep in her belly her lust was hot, and twisting, and it left her sweaty and tingling all over, and Jacob was so strong below her, touching her like he could do it forever. She knew that no requirements would ever force him to leave her, unlike Edward's 'hiking trips.' He wouldn't let them.

Her pleasure was duly taken in, and licked, by Jacob's warm mouth. His tongue tickled over her thighs, and then Bella collapsed down into his arms. She let him carry her back to the blanket. Edward was on her mind, a discontent feeling in the back of staring at the beauty of Jacob and the sky.

She turned away from her would-be lover – she knew he was thinking of that, as he stared at her – and somewhere between staring at the clouds and darting glances in his direction, and trying for possibly the first time in her life not to think of Edward, she fell asleep.

Try as she might not to think of him, Edward was in her dreams. He stood before her in the dark of the forest, and she couldn't move. His beautiful form walked towards her, and those red lips captured hers. She was drowning in his kiss, drowning like she never had before. He had never let her have him like this, own him, regardless of all the pronouncements of love. But she knew love was all that gave him the strength to hold back and learn to control his bloodlust.

For a moment, in the dream, Edward's kiss was beauty itself. Then, her body started to go limp and cold. She was frozen in his arms, and she couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe! She struggled against his grip, but his icy hands were firm on her arms. He pulled away from the kiss, and blood – her blood – dripped down his chin and fell between them. "Isn't this what you wanted?" he asked. His eyes were blank of anything that resembled the Edward she knew, and bright red. When she didn't answer, he repeated the question.

Her breath returned to her as a scream, and she ran away from him. But he was there again, and now he was as he had always been, her Edward, with his bronze hair neat, his smile secretive and sneaking over his face, just for her. She shuddered in his arms, and he asked what was wrong.

She lifted her head up to answer, but then realized she couldn't. She couldn't tell him that he was what was wrong with her, and that his arms around her felt not quite right. She ran away from him, and continued to bump into Edwards. They all asked her questions. With each of his questions, she felt less and less inclined to be near to him. He didn't know her. He looked at her, each time she ran from him, with a puzzled expression. Again and again she ran from him, and he in many forms, and again he asked. He wanted her to tell him, without any effort on his part, what the contents of her heart were.

On what seemed the hundredth time she ran into Edward, finally Bella in her dream screamed, "I don't WANT you anymore!"

Her words rang against concrete walls. They were in a tiny concrete room with no windows or doors. She pushed against the roof, and it opened. She heaved her body into sunlight and warmth. The opening of the room she had left, its doorway wide open, was shaped like the old stereotype of Dracula's coffin. It was laughable.

Bella's dream self turned, and there was Jacob. He was smiling. He lifted his arms up for a hug, and said, "It's about time you decided."

She woke from the dream with a start, gasping. The sun blinded her, and she put a hand over her eyes. A pounding headache pulsed between her eyes. She felt naked and vulnerable, literally, with the sun burning her pale skin and the blanket a strange sign of civility in the otherwise wild of their surroundings.

When she let her hand fall away from her eyes, she saw Jacob sitting next to her. His brow was furrowed and he had his hands arranged precisely in his lap – now clothed – as if he was resisting reaching out to her, or making some violent gesture.

She stared at him, and her throat felt dry. Where they had been so close but a little ago, in his troubled stare, something was now amiss.

"What?" She asked. Then, as he continued to stare, more quietly, "What is it?"

Jacob shifted himself on the blanket, seeming as if he wanted to be more comfortable. He stretched his legs out, and put his hands on either side of him. But there was a nervous twitch beneath one eye, and she watched it, waiting with a sinking dread heavy in her belly.

"You…you talk in your sleep, you know, Bella." He tried to laugh. "I couldn't help but hear you."

"What did I say?" She bit her lip firmly, trying to be confident, but her heart was still beating fast from the dream. She felt raw and exposed. Edward never knew what she was thinking. Jacob's accusing stare seemed to know too much.

"You didn't say much," Jacob croaked. His voice sounded weak. "Just one thing: Edward. Edward. Edward. You said it over and over. You, you…" He took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. He seemed to be forcing himself to continue. "You gasped his name, and moaned it, and whispered it…and you were clutching your hands against your body, as if…holding something against you. Or, someone."

His tone had been harsh and hard. She had never quite heard Jacob sound like that. But his last word, 'someone,' came out a whisper, and he turned his head abruptly away. She saw his hands shaking. That turn of the head, so quick, said more than any batch of tears could. She felt his hurt like a sting in her lungs, making her gasp again for breath. She was reminded of the dream and Edward's unassailable hold on her, his relentless appearance again and again.

"I had a nightmare," she said in answer. What else was there to say? She tried not to think of her words to Edward in the dream, _"I don't want you anymore."_ The sun was hidden behind clouds now, and she stared up at it. Jacob's warmth seemed to have left with the sun. She frowned.

Jacob turned back to her, and his teeth were clenched tightly in a grimace, with anger brimming behind it. He was shaking. "A nightmare." His words came out clipped and fast. "Is that what this was to you? Did I…did I force you into anything? Were you just…using me, or going along, like usual?"

She couldn't believe that he was saying that. That he was saying the feelings that she knew, in some ways, she had planted in him – bitterness, anger, because she had refused his advances in the past, because he saw Edward as unhealthy in more ways than one. But the words themselves were so harsh, and yet so pained, that they surprised Bella. She hadn't thought he would ever actually say those words. She heard a strange sound come from her own throat, and blinked rapidly against tears that dripped down her cheeks and tasted of salt in her mouth.

"Jacob. Jacob, I'm sorry I hurt you. I meant everything…everything I said, everything I did. The nightmare was about Edward, not about you…you, you were the good part of it."

He lay down on the blanket, but he looked up at her. "Bella…I've always meant to ask you, but…couldn't bring myself to, before. What makes it so hard to choose between me and…and him?"

Her brain was whirling. She felt tired and sad. At the same time she was alert that this moment was so important, and it made her senses keen. She could taste the salt tears in her lips, and feel the scratchiness of sand against her thigh through a hole in the blanket. Jacob stretched before her and he was beautiful, plaintive. He was so honest and real. She couldn't keep the thought out of her: _DO I really not want Edward anymore? _She couldn't believe she was even considering it.

She sat and thought. She thought of her dream, and it made her shudder. She thought of her other dreams, of Edward even before she knew he was a vampire, and how they had seemed to come true, like a sort of prophecy. Would she reject Edward? No, she told herself. _If you do that, your world will fall apart._ A fear that she would crumple and die inside, as she had when he had left her for so long, lived within her.

But then she realized, what was she thinking? She was thinking of herself. Her fear was not of Edward leaving her; it was not of missing him. It was that, like a vital piece of her framework, he would leave a gaping irreparable hole in his wake, and she would not be able to survive; would never be complete again. He was a part of her equation of happiness, and without him, she wasn't sure what the equation or the answer would be.

Jacob, on the other hand, was not a part of some equation. He was fullness and a brightness that shone on her in rare moments, and when he was there, everything was simple. Everything was fine. It seemed too easy, almost, too easy and good to be true. He was an answer, a completion, but one that she did not deserve, after so much indecisiveness, after all the pain she had brought to his life. All the complications that came with Edward, with the truce, with her heart – all that heartache – had bled into Jacob's life. Bella felt responsible. There was no way, after turning everything so upside-down for him, that she should or could obtain him.

Somehow though, through all of it, Jacob wanted her. He loved her. She saw it in his eyes, and he had said it himself earlier today. He never wanted to hurt her. Bella was tired of being hurt. She was tired of meeting challenge after challenge, with no end in sight. She was tired of waiting for more, for things for herself, and having to always put it to the side. It was a frustration that she had guilt-tripped herself for in her mind, where Edward could not see. The reply to herself had always been, _think of Edward_.

This frustration had come out in her passion for Jacob. Every touch of his made Bella love herself again. She was now thinking that thought again: _what about me? _She was paying attention to herself right now, more than she had in a long time.

Through all of the silence after his question, Jacob still was here. He continued to lie on the blanket, his long body seemingly lazy and content, but occasionally his gaze would drift back towards her. Watching him now, she could see the sheen of sweat on his skin, the tent in his jeans, and the way he chewed his lip and the twitch beneath one eye remained. She longed, for a brief flashing second, to forget all her thoughts and simply drape her body over his. But this was it, she told herself. Jacob in her dream and Jacob here and now were right. She had to decide.

"Jake…I'm scared. I'm scared of leaving him. I'm scared of losing the way everything…the way I don't have to have control, when he's around. He keeps me safe. He loves me so much. Seeing him every day, is like knowing that I have life. I have something to live for. I have something strongly important to me, that is bigger than the petty bothers of everyone else's lives.

"But at the same time…my need for him also frightens me…the way I ignore my own ideas and urges around him, because everything gives way for him, in my mind. Sure, I used to be less happy, things were more aggravating and shallow and simple, but…but I was this person, just a girl, I was sarcastic and helpful and sometimes bluntly honest. Now everything I am is about Edward…and sometimes, like when I'm around you, I realize I could be a lot more. But when I'm with him…nothing else matters but him."

She could see Jacob's hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. He refused to look at her now, and instead stared up at the sky. "Tell me your thoughts about me," he said. "Please. I want to know, even if this all ends up being like some sort of fantasy I had."

Bella forced herself to smile, though his words brought a shiver to her. He was so hurt. This was exactly what she hadn't wanted. She pinched her leg in anger. Why was she always hurting him?

"Jacob, you are...you are sunlight to me. Happiness. All my troubles fall away when I'm with you. I feel happy and I feel…loved. I get angry with myself for hurting you, and sometimes I feel sad and resigned that things are troubled sometimes, between us. But most of the time…it feels good. It's easy and light…it's more than I deserve….and it feels very real. I feel like I'm that girl I was, sometimes. I don't know…that whole fantasy world of werewolves and vampires falls away a little, and we're just us. Oh, I don't mean ' just.' You make me feel like I can do anything."

Jacob turned to support himself by one elbow, facing her, and propped his chin in one hand. "You know what I think? You CAN do anything. You're not stuck with him, so there's no 'being resigned' except to what you do to yourself. I'm here for you, always…" He was looking straight at her. "You know I love you."

She was blinking madly again, and turned away this time. "Yes. I know."

She wanted to tell him that her words had come out wrong, that in fact, she loved him, too. She had loved him a long time, and the only competition beating in her heart right now this very moment was the fact that she didn't know how to live without Edward. It wasn't that she didn't want to. She wanted Jacob, right now in every which way, and her need was a fluttering in her stomach, a pulsing of her heart, and a choking sob that she held back so tightly that it hurt.

His voice in her ear startled her. "You're doing it again. Look at me, Bells."

She didn't.

Jacob whispered, "Please?"

If she looked at him, she would say everything, and there would be no turning back. She couldn't look into that beautiful face and say no, anymore. She couldn't face his longing loving eyes and say, _I've got to go home now. _Or, _I have to meet Edward_. Or, the worst of all, _he's waiting for me_.

Jacob was _always_ waiting for her, waiting for her to return, to spend a little time with him. He tried to hide it, but she knew that was how it was.

_This feels right_, she told herself. _This feels good_. So she turned, and looked Jacob straight-on.

His face was open and soft, and he didn't lean in to kiss her or control the situation, didn't look scared or unhappy, he just looked at her, and his gaze was loving.

"Jacob," she breathed, lightly, forcing the words from deep in her ribcage, out into the air where they belonged. "I love you. I love you. I want you."

__

_More soon! Review? =)_


	4. Chapter 4

_Thank you all bajillions, millions for the reviews! I love that you love it! Tell me what you think of this chapter: _

**CRESCENT MOON**

by The Ultimate Otaku

_Chapter 4_

_Bella's POV continued...  
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_"Jacob," she breathed, lightly, forcing the words from deep in her ribcage, out into the air where they belonged. "I love you. I love you. I want you."_

And, to Bella's surprise, it _did_ feel good. It _did_ feel right, to look at Jacob, and grin at his grin, to wrap her arms around him. She felt no pang of regret, no pain as she had when leaving Jacob for Edward, time and again. Instead she felt simply content. Sure, for a moment there was a thought: _how is this happening?_ And of Edward, what would she do? But she shoved that thought away and smiled, thinking, _it happened by my choice._

There was so much she wanted to say, more, and she opened her mouth to say it, but then Jacob was kissing her. His mouth was tender over hers, and his tongue gently asked for entrance. She let him fold her to him in a tangle of limbs, and his kiss wandered over her neck, over her heart, over her belly, then back to her heart. He stayed there, his head nestled against her. She rubbed her fingers over his scalp with a smile on her lips and pleasure buzzing in her body and standing her hairs on end.

_Jacob's POV_

The happiness in him made Jacob thrum with energy. Earlier, he had felt so different. He had felt heavy and angry, and shivery, and almost phased in his anger. He had hated everything, in the moments when Bella's voice had spoken Edward's name over and over. It had sent a chill down his spine, and every significance he had given what they had done up to that point, had dropped away.

He had reprimanded himself for thinking, earlier when they were in the water, that Bella looked like she wanted him forever. _Of course she doesn't want you forever,_ Jacob had told himself. _How could she? You might be giving her body pleasure, but you only make her angry otherwise. She doesn't want you badly enough._

It had hurt so much. He had felt like everything was worthless, especially himself. Now though, he felt light as a bird. He couldn't stop smiling, and he felt like if someone asked him to run across the country or something, he could and would do it in a second.

He put his head against Bella's heart again, and let it stay there. He could hear her heart, and the sound was a reassurance of his happiness. She had said she loved him. Wow. As soon as she had looked at him, he had seen it in her eyes: something had been resolved. He had taken her acceptance of his kiss, perhaps, too seriously, because...she could still love Cullen, too, couldn't she? But...Jacob thought he knew Bella, and he trusted his gut. Right now, his gut said, _you are in a great spot right now, better than before, for having talked to her._

He was proud of himself for having talked to her about the troubles, instead of ignoring it or letting her ignore it. With her fingers stroking across his head, Jacob felt on top of the world.

The thrumming in his body was of two kinds. One was content, and the other, bodily one was not. It wanted to play with her breasts, to tease her sexually and make her plead for fulfillment. It wanted to know what it would be like to spank her, or to have her tease him. It wanted everything, every stupid nonsensical fantasy. He chuckled to himself, thinking of that stupid dream of her on the motorcycle with only his shirt on.

"What are you laughing at?" Bella asked.

Jacob smiled. "Oh, you don't want to know. I have some wild ideas in my head that are never going to see the light of day."

She sounded amused, her voice light above him. "What sorts of ideas, Jake?"

"Mmmm. Well." He felt his body tightening, his cock springing to attention, and gasped at the sudden swell of his lust. "I just..." He squirmed a little in her arms, his hands flapped around his crotch but never quite reached for his zipper, too shy to wreck the moment, his brain too lusty to let him be still. "My ideas are pretty stupid, really. I was thinking of you on the first day of..." He licked his lips, embarrassed, "Of being in heat. I couldn't help it. And so I thought of all these stupid ideas...with you in them."

Bella had stopped stroking his head, and now her fingers crept down the side of his face, across his neck, and down over his chest, where she scratched lazily. "You make me terribly curious with your vague description...'Stupid' could be anything."

He laughed. "It is."

Bella sat up a little beneath him, and now her hand moved, ever so slowly, further down his body. Jacob was panting. Her words came breathy in his ear now, as she said, "What, am I in black leather and thigh high boots? Do you have me strung up on your wall? Decorating the kitchen counter?" She giggled a little, and the sound made him harder. She whispered, "I want to know."

He pictured her in all the situations she described, and they were all good. He licked his lips, and planted his hands firmly over his thighs in an attempt to tell them to stop. Moving. Her hand was now inching over his navel.

"All of your ideas sound good," he breathed. "I went with anything, really. The only rule was nothing that would hurt you."

Bella's voice was throaty in his ear and the sound alone made Jacob's cock say _gimme gimme gimme!_ Her hand was moving way too fucking slow.

"Tying me up wouldn't hurt me, if you do it right," she said, "And I like your kitchen counter." She laughed. "It's smooth."

He wondered what she would say if he described to her the image in his head of him fucking her from behind, his cock ramming into her soft bottom, with her hands splayed on said kitchen counter and his hands so tight on her hips it would bruise. Then he would lick her there, up the back of her thighs and over the stinging soft cheeks of her ass, parting them to blow and suck and lick at the tender hole. No, he would do that first, before fucking her.

Later it would be his come on her ass cheeks, and he would watch her step into the shower to clean up, but then it would get too much and he would step in there with her and fuck her again. This time it would be from the front, even harder, against a wall, and the walls would crack and his dad would complain later but it would be worth it to see her all wet and hear her screaming his name and have her nipples get cold and hot, cold and hot, under the water and his tongue. Oh fuck.

She would wrap her legs around him, too, and grab at the shower handle so the temperature would change, and when they were done she would collapse into his arms and he would carry her to his bed...and she would be beautiful, her pearly skin visible through a thin white cotton shirt of his...

"Oh fuck," he moaned. His ideas were so good, and her warm body was beneath him right now, and her hand had finally reached south. He felt a whimper burbling up from his throat as she rubbed, ever so lightly, over the giant tent that had formed in his jeans. He could hear himself panting loudly from some world far away, and he was all heat and hardness.

"Jacob, please, share your ideas with me." Jesus what was he doing dreaming of her when she was right there with him? Her voice sounded so good. He could tell she really wanted to know. He was practically in her lap now somehow, a strange position, with her hand on his aching arousal, her hair and breasts against his back. He wondered if he was too heavy and shifted his weight a little.

"I, um...mmm...I've...got you up against the counter...," he licked his lips, and her fingers were undoing his jeans, "And we're all...wet and good...together...with nothing on, and nothing between us...and I get to touch you everywhere...with everything, and my mouth, a lot..." He felt drunk in his lust, and groaned as she eased his clothes from him, and hefted his cock in her hand. Her thumb started rubbing.

"And?"

"And...oh Bells...we're moving together, and...hnh...I get to...slap you a little, on the bottom..." He knew he was blushing now, and was suddenly relieved he couldn't see her face. He rushed on, "And, when we're done with that, uh, we take a shower, and uh...th-that's it."

"Hmmmm," she said. Her hand pumped him hard and long, and Jacob felt like his heart was down there, god he was hard. She slithered out from under him, and he noted how flushed her face was. Had he embarrassed her with his ideas? He blushed under her gaze.

"I knew boys were creative creatures when it came to all this, Jake..." She smirked at him. "But I didn't know I'd actually like their ideas. Well, your ideas, I mean. Yours are good."

She was totally turning the flirt on and Jacob wondered why he'd never seen this side of her before, but he knew he liked it. He also liked the way her mouth was now biting a trail up his thigh, and she gave him one long lick up his length. He trembled against her.

Suddenly she was climbing over him, onto him, and oh Jesus he could feel the soft heat of her against his thigh, the wetness of her lust on his skin. He opened his eyes to look at her, and she shuddered against him.

"Jacob," she whispered softly, "I want everything you want. I want it all. I want you to touch me everywhere like you said..." She was blushing madly, smiling shyly, but her body wanted it unashamedly. Her nipples were tight and erect and she moved against him, her crotch rubbing over his thigh again and again.

Jacob sat up a little and pressed his forehead against hers. He stared into her eyes. "Are you sure?"

She looked at him long and hard, and then her expression softened and she whispered in a sort of laugh, "Yes."

He was surprised, when she slid her body over his, and his cock was suddenly inside the heat and wet of her. God she was wet. Tight. So fucking tight. He put his palm against her mouth, and let her teeth dig bloody marks into his palm when he broke her. His palm became raw and red and chewed, and he moved slowly, until the pain left her.

Then, she started to move. Her tight, slick hole was inching up and down his length, and with every move down, that tight grasp on his cock made him shiver. He moved up and down with her, and he couldn't stop moving. An aching rhythm was created, slow and shaky at first, then faster.

He licked his lips. He kissed her. He sucked her earlobes and formed a hickey on her neck. His hands were on her hips, her waist, her breasts. Then they were rolling over, and he pressed her into the blanket. He was careful to never use his full strength. The blanket got wrinkled beneath them, and Bella's hands made nail marks on his back, when he pushed a little more, earning a loud moan.

As Jacob moved faster within her, he reveled in it. He had imagined her body, but never her sounds or sensations. She whimpered softly when he was slow, and her tight hole squeezed against him. Her inner muscles rippled against him when he moved in fast thrusts, Jesus that was good! The faster he moved, the louder she was, moaning and crying out his name. She didn't even finish it sometimes, caught in the ecstasy, her fingers clenching at his hair, at his wrists. Her breasts jiggled with his movements, and he stopped to suck at a nipple once. She groaned in protest at the pause, and then he could hear her panting as he suckled.

They had moved somehow to the foot of a tree, and their bed was of needles now. He brushed them from her hair, and looked deep in her eyes, and she looked back, saying simply, "Jake. My Jake."

When his fingers played at her clit, rubbing, Bella was surprised. Her eyes widened, and she pressed her head hard against his chest. Then she fell back, and as he touched her, he watched her face. It was open and soft with lust, melting in pleasure. He licked down her face, tasting the sweat on her neck, her breast. She wrapped her legs around his waist and he swore at the change in sensation, how good it felt.

He felt insanely energetic and strong for most of it, but he did not lose his thoughtfulness for her, did not get hazed in lust as he thought he would. That was something he felt quite proud of. He could see Bella knew it, too, in her smiles, in the way she responded to his thrusts and little, added touches, and in her speaking of his name again and again. She would say it quietly, passionately, for his ears only.

He let her push him back and down, at one point, and the needles prickled against his back and tickled his ears. He watched her as she straddled him, and sunk her body down on him. Her long dark hair was a wavy, wild mess around her shoulders. It had needles in it. Her body was beaded with perspiration, and the muscles in her legs flexed against him. Her brown eyes were glowing with desire and a smile twisted her lips. She was gorgeous.

When she started to move against him, Jacob was stunned. She was so good, so beautiful. Then, he did feel a little dazed. He lay back, letting her do it. He loved how crazy her hair was, how loud her sounds, her grunts, the way her breasts bounced in a slow, mesmerizing fashion. Her hands would slide in and grasp at his buttocks, which made him laugh, and then with his cock thrumming between them she arched her body down like a cat's, and rubbed her breasts against him. He slid his fingers through her hair, smiling. He licked his lips with a groan of lust as his fingers drifted down her body. Her skin was slick with sweat now, and he found that turned him on even more. She nibbled over his ear and he moaned, before starting up again.

They ended up against the roots of a tree, with its rough bark probably scraping her shoulders, and his large hands protecting her lower back and pushing her legs around him again. His knuckles were raw but he didn't mind, all of him was raw, his body tingling and his cock thrumming and his voice hoarse; a little blood didn't matter.

She pushed back against him, harder and harder as his thrusts became more powerful. He looked at her glowing in happiness, with her head tilted back and her hands on his arms, digging in. Her body was soft and full and beautiful. He wished he could keep her like that always. Gorgeous, hot, flustered, her body slick with sweat, she urged him on and he pressed into her one more time. A growl came from him, and he felt all the lust in him burst in a satisfying rush, his seed spilling into her body.

_This is perfect_, he thought, _she's perfect for me and I want nothing else. I haven't wanted anyone or anything so long or so badly. And now…here we are!_

They lay there for a long time together. They were a tangle of limbs. He couldn't stop smiling. Every time he looked at Bella, _his_ Bella, curled up beside him, he felt a thrum of sheer joy burble in him. It was like a wild river that had been dammed was now open and flowing freely within him. He almost wanted to leap in the air and scream for the joy of it.

As he watched Bella watching him, Jacob was surprised that he still felt energetic. At the same time his limbs felt incredibly heavy and relaxed. He was fully awake, but he also felt like he lay in a sort of warm bath. As he looked at her, having been satisfied, he was able to notice new things about her.

First, she had a scar at the top of a shoulder blade. Other than that, her skin was so perfect and white it was almost eerie. She had very smooth skin, and her hands were only a little callused from the toughness that Forks had given her. Second, as always, she was injured, but this time it was only a cut on one leg. "Shaving," she giggled, when he asked. He hadn't heard Bella giggle very much at all – it was a relief that she wasn't the type – but now, here, the sound made Jacob feel like giggling himself, almost.

The more he looked at her body, and into her eyes, the more Jacob could actually see the change and lightness and happiness that she had talked about, in her. It was part of his goodness to her, or so it seemed from what she had said. Her body was relaxed. Contentedness was in the way she snuggled to him, in the way her arm lay gracefully over the sweet curve of her waist, and it was in how much she let him look. She had never let him look for very long, when she was with Cullen (_was_, Jacob thought, had never been a more wonderful word!). Now he could look all he wanted.

He looked at her cut, and her scar, and he traced the fine hairs on her arms. He tucked his nose into her neck and breathed in that wonderful Bella scent. She had a scent to him, too, but he had never mentioned this to her back when she was spilling her and Cullen's life to him before he had reached his wolfhood. Her scent was delightfully human, and strong in his nose. He loved it. It always made him eager to see her, knowing she was near.

She laughed as he took a few long strands of her hair in his hand, and kissed them. Then he couldn't help but kiss her, over and over again. He wanted her to feel that she was her own self again, owned by no one, but the wolf in him wanted to make sure that everyone would know she was his. The wolf in him wanted to leave a mark behind. He lay back on the nettles and thought about what would be right. A bite mark made him think of vampires, and he knew it would for her, too. So that was out. He was sure she had some scrapes on her back from the tree, and for a moment when he thought of that, he winced.

Then he remembered the wolf charm that he had given her, long ago, which he had seen a while ago hung over the head of her bed. She only wore it sometimes, which hurt. Now was his chance. But then again, no, he thought. He didn't want to make her promise anything. He didn't want to tie her down in any way. That would be too much like Cullen.

Jacob's thoughts were interrupted as a sudden growl from Bella's stomach split the silence. They both laughed. "Here," he said, and helped her up. They walked back to the rumpled blanket they had abandoned at the edge of the sands. Jacob shook it out, and lay it back down. Then, gesturing that Bella sit next to him, he started taking nettles out of her hair.

"My dad's used to these things being all over the house from me," he said, "But, when the boys come over, I don't want a lot of questions. Not now…" His voice became a whisper. "Not yet."

She tried to turn back to look at him, but Jacob just kept his head down and concentrated on his task. He didn't want to give all the whirling in his brain, now that he could actually think, to her. She had enough with Cullen. She didn't need to have to deal with his wolf brothers, too. That was his job.

Finally, Jacob was done. When he said so Bella leapt up, saying, "I'm starving!" He laughed at her, and handed her one end of the blanket. He was still laughing as they folded it up until it was a square, which he tucked under one arm.

Bella put her clothing back on – his shirt, her pants, which made Jacob grin. She asked, "Why is that so funny?"

Jacob watched her, as he let his hand drift down her arm to her hand. When he clasped it, she seemed to have no problem. Good. "I'm laughing because it makes me think…well, it makes me think of all those times they called you 'the vampire girl,' and how now…maybe you're not that anymore."

Her hand clenched against his, and she whispered shakily, "Jake, I said I love you, and I meant it. I can't turn back now. I'm tired of turning around and around in circles. Let's go eat."

They sun had set a while ago, and as they stepped in through the back door, Jacob flicked the light on. He put the blanket down on the living room couch, and went to check the kitchen clock. Six thirty. He had half an hour before his dad got home.

"Hey Bells, would you like a grilled cheese?"

She plopped down on a chair and nodded her head. He could see how tired she was from her slow movements, but it was a joyful sort of tired. He readied all the things, and set the sandwiches to cooking. When he sat down across from her, Bella quickly lifted her head from where it rested against her arms. Was she afraid he would disapprove of her tiredness? Or worry about her? He was now, a little.

"You look really out of it," Jacob said, grinning. He reached a hand across to grab hers. He just couldn't get enough of making sure she was his. It just felt too good to resist. Then, he frowned as he wondered; maybe he had pushed her too hard? He didn't think she would be so tired, but then again, he was himself feeling tired a little now, too.

"Bella, I didn't go too far, did I? You want a ride home?"

She smiled at him, and her thumb pressed against his. Her hair was now slightly less messy looking, only frizzy at the bottom. But the clothing she wore was rumpled, and she slumped a little in her chair. "Jacob, please. Don't baby me. I feel just fine. I can drive myself home. But, I was thinking you might like to accompany me home. What do you think?"

She was inviting him to spend more time with her. This was rare. Jacob wondered what she was thinking of, but he didn't want to push her. He just wanted her happy, and she was. "I would love it," he said.

The grilled cheese was done quickly, and they both gobbled theirs down. Jacob was still hungry, but he had only a little while now until his dad arrived home. Shit. He wished he could spend time alone with Bella like this forever!

This time it was Bella who grabbed his hand, and standing up, she pulled him down the hall. "Jacob, I think we both need this, and I want to sortof…I want to have time with you before the normal world comes back home for a grilled cheese."

Jacob bit his lip to hold back his excitement as he realized, they were doing the shower idea. She was closing the bathroom door behind them. She was turning on the shower. Was this really happening? He couldn't believe his luck.

"Um, Bells, right about now is when I'm afraid that I'm dreaming all of this and you've just switched to fantasy Bella. Pinch me or something."

She laughed at him, and then leaned back against the sink, thinking. He watched. He waited. He was feeling antsy again. The itch, the heat, was returning to him. It wasn't raging, but prickling all over him. He felt it, and every little moment of staring at her, waiting, was making it stronger.

Bella finally shrugged, and said, "I don't know. Would it help if I said I feel a little silly? I'm expecting you to laugh at me at any moment…but I suppose, since this was your idea, you wouldn't. Um, I like your idea…but uh, if you want this to be totally normal and not fantasy-like, then you have my full permission to leave me to have a nice, hot…lonely…shower."

She smirked at him as she said this. There she was flirting again. He bit his lip more. He wanted her, he really did, but he was not used to Bella taking charge. Secretly he liked it, but what would she do or think if he let her know? Would she feel like he was using her? He didn't want to be like Cullen. He wanted honesty in this.

He woke up a little as Bella pinched him on the arm. "There's your pinch. You're free to go."

But he didn't go. He couldn't. No way. Instead, he watched.

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXXOOXOX_

_Bella's POV_

_ XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOOXOXXOX_

She still felt a little silly, but she also felt good. She enjoyed teasing Jacob, just as he enjoyed teasing her. Teasing Edward was different, because she would always revert back to being…well, to being just, the girl that was focused on Edward. She had been thinking about it on the way back, how much she had focused on him. How much it had hurt when he left her. It had hurt her that he would leave at all. His explanation about making it better for them did not make sense to her – it was better for her safety, yes, but not better for them. It also, now that she thought about it, was selfish. He knew that leaving would hurt her, and yet he still did it.

Jacob wouldn't do that.

She genuinely wanted a few moments of time with Jacob before Billy Black returned. She wanted to try Jacob's shower idea. It was exciting. It did make her feel silly, but it wasn't a stupid silly like Jessica or some other girls used to be, or a nasty, take-advantage-of conversation (Angela had told her, once, that they had talked about Edward like this once. Instead of replying, like a person who was a person at all would, she had shrugged it off, because as long as she was with Edward, it didn't matter. In retrospect, she wished she had spoken up for herself more often to that whole crowd).

Also…she felt like she really, really would love a warm shower or even a bath right now. She ached, just a little, all over. Her back hurt; the scrapes from the tree stung. And she knew there was blood from when he had broken her, and wanted to clean that before they did any more. Could she even do any more?

The silly she felt around Jacob felt good. It was a, _things are good_, silly. It was a, _things won't be perfect forever but we have now_, silly. It was living in the moment, and that was something Bella hadn't done in a very long time.

She grinned at Jacob watching, as she shucked off her pants, and slowly unbuttoned his shirt. She admitted to letting it slide delicately and slowly from her shoulders, because god it felt good to be watched like this. To be wanted, and yes there was a thrill to Jacob being a werewolf. It wasn't the same as Edward holding back; it was better. Jacob held himself back, just enough, but he was still personal about it. His touching of her was so passionate. His strong body above her, around her, near her, was hot and ready. He was ready for anything.

She slid the rest of her clothes off of her, and with one smirking glance back at Jacob, she turned the hot water on, and turned the switch to get the shower spray going. Immediately she stepped in, and it felt sooo good to have the hot water on her! It glided, silky with soap as she scrubbed down her body. She splashed water over her breasts and between her legs, and turned around and let it glide down her back and over her hair. Mmm.

Then she opened her eyes and Jacob was suddenly in front of her. She smiled at the lust and love in his eyes, and stepped back, away from him, more into the heat and wet of the steaming shower. He bit his lip, and followed, growling, "Bella…you like to tease me…don't you?" His fingers skimmed up to trace around her navel. His clothes were soaked now and the hair at his forehead dripped little tendrils down his face. He looked amazing all wet.

"I love to tease you, Jake. It's one of my favorite pastimes…"

The more the water fell over her, the less tense her body became, but now with Jake in front of her looking gorgeous like that, she felt her breath quicken and a new sort of feeling wriggling itself back into her body. It felt luscious and good, and exciting, like tasting something and having its flavor burst over her tongue.

Jacob's fingers teased her in response, and his eyes held hers; a tiny smirk was starting to curl his mouth. He let his hands only drift over her, tracing around her nipples, over her sides and her back, and down to her bottom where, with a groan, he gave up. His hands clenched over her buttocks, cupping her flesh, and he buried his nose behind her ear. His breath came sharp and fast against her now, and she felt his desire jutting against her.

Then, so quick it made Bella gasp, Jacob was whirling her around. He pressed her body back against his, his hands over her breasts, and then his hands moved to encircle her wrists. Bella leaned back against him, laughing, and then knelt down on the floor of the shower with her back to him. She slid her hands tightly to grasp a rod on the side of the tub.

Groaning, Jacob sunk to kneel behind her. His voice was a throaty whisper in her ear, asking, "Bells, do you really want this? Or are you just indulging me?"

She licked her lips, smiling, and hoped he could hear that in her voice. "I'm curious."

She gasped as his tongue started to work over her, kissing and suckling at the back of her neck. His hands grabbed her hair into two sections, and he laid them over her shoulders. Then his hands crept, down, down her hair to cup her breasts. His tongue gently pressed against the scrapes on her back. "Curiosity…is good enough for me…Bells, how does your back feel?"

She could barely speak, with his thumbs circling her nipples and his tongue communicating so much need."I, I…i-it feels…fine, Jake…"

His tongue had gone all the way down her spine, making her shiver. Now it played over her buttocks, over her cheeks. Something told her to be accessible, so she turned to the side and curled down. The water beat down over her head and her back and over Jacob's head. She could feel the extra drops going from his head down to drip over the backs of her thighs. The water was warm but his body crouched behind her, his hands on her legs, his tongue on her skin, was very hot.

His large, callused hands were parting a new entrance, a forbidden thing, and Bella's breath came harsh at the intrigue of it. Then his tongue was there, too, caressing, stroking, diving in, and she could hear his whimpers as he fought to hold back, fought or maybe reveled in how intensely he was enjoying it. As his tongue got deeper in her, Bella was panting and pushing back against him. Then he moved up and she heard him abandon his clothes. She felt him posed to enter her from behind with his cock thrumming against her.

"W-Wait, wait," she said, and he sat back, a questioning sound coming from his throat. She turned around, and stood up. She switched the water to cold, and shuddered as it woke up her senses even more. Her skin was on fire inside, but her outside was sharp and aware now from the cold. She turned back to him, and kneeling down in front of him, she pushed against his chest. Obediently, his eyebrows raised in wonder, Jacob let her position him – lying back in the curve of the back of the tub, his arms at his sides.

Like that, she took over him. She took control. His wrists were hot in her hands, and she could tell he itched to touch her but he didn't at the shake of her head. The woman, the female wolf in control, she subdued her mate. With her knees and hands she clambered up, over him – he swore, and she smirked – until he was holding her weight on his shoulders – he sat up, his hands sliding to support her lower back – and with the water over them and her head raised back, he licked in her, deep and long.

He started slow, teasing, but when she thrust her hips forward he moved faster. She moaned at his tongue's ministrations, knees digging into his shoulders, and then as he became frenzied she was gritting her teeth to keep from shouting, and she curled her body over him. His hair tickled her breasts and his hands were hard and firmly holding her, muscles in his arms tight against her legs, her hips. She started to move against him, panting, pushing, and he loved it, groaning, and at one point he lifted his head up and stared up into her eyes.

His look was sharp with heat at first, and then softened. She smiled back, and then they began again.

When she was so close that her whole body felt aflame even under the cold water, Bella scooted back, away. She stood up, and put her hands on the metal rod again. "Now," she said, "Gently."

He looked at her, puzzled, and she laughed. He let her grab his hand, and as she placed it at the small of her back, with his fingers on her bottom, his eyes widened in realization.

"Oh – oh!" he said, and she saw the glimmer of excitement roar in his gaze.

She could tell that he was nervous, from his hesitance. She felt suddenly nervous, too. What was she doing? This was crazy! But then a part of her said, she never would have had this sort of nerve around Edward, and it was quite exciting, really. She was not one to back down from things easily, so she decided to stay put, and closed her eyes.

His first touch came as a light stinging sensation – the memory of his fingertips on her skin, gone it seemed before they had arrived. Then he was hitting again, harder, and Bella gasped.

Jacob stopped, and his breath was panting and loud even with the shower going. "Are you alright? Did I hurt you?"

"No. No, go again." She was still curious. She never would have said yes to anything like this before today, because she had been with Edward, cautious Edward…but now, here she was, and the excitement in her was building.

__

_=D Please review!_


	5. Chapter 5

_I'm so happy you guys are enjoying this! yaay! Now for more. This chapter ends a little evilly...=3_

**CRESCENT MOON**

**by The Ultimate Otaku**

_CHAPTER FIVE_

_XOXOXOXOXOXXOOOXOOOXOXOXOX_

_Bella's POV_

_XOOXOOXOXOXOOXOXOXOXOXOXOO_

Jacob started again, and his hits were quick. They left at first a pang, and then a burn that spread across her buttocks. It started to feel good though, despite herself. Mostly it was because behind her, Jacob was making sounds – low guttural groans, and whimpers – and beyond the sting of pain, she could feel the desperation in his touches, how with this, she was fulfilling something that he hadn't ever thought she would say yes to. It felt good to be satisfying him, to be giving him something. She always felt like she was taking away from Jacob. Now, it was different.

He started to slap his hand harder against her, and she could feel that it would leave a mark on her bottom, the shape of his hand, even though he was being gentle for his strength level. She yelped at one hit, and then bit her lip, groaning, as he pressed his body up against her. She could feel his hard cock against the same spot where his hand had just been hitting, and she wanted it. She wanted him to take her from behind like he had suggested, but she also wanted to touch him and lick him and do everything else that he had said. Maybe all of his ideas were worth a try, since this one was so good…

His breath was hot and harsh against her, and his hands moved up to caress and hold her breasts. "Bells," his voice was soft and low, "Jesus Bells you're an expert at driving me crazy…"

She slithered out of his grasp and turned around to face him. His cheeks were flushed – she could feel hers were, too – and his cock was tight and wet with so much need. His dark hair had plastered against his head, and his fingers pushed up against her breasts, stroked her nipples…

Bella realized how much she had lost control, too. She could tell he was wild with the heat now, but some small caring part of him was forcing himself to hold back. She grabbed him and pushed his face to her breasts, and his mouth was immediately on her, sucking her and biting a little, and she squeezed her legs around his waist. Her back was on fire and pain as it rubbed against the hard cold shower wall, but she didn't care! Then his cock was entering her, rubbing over her thigh and slipping in one hot smooth movement, and she pressed her knuckles into her mouth to stop the loud sounds that struggled up from her throat.

"Mmm, Jake, J-Jake…" He was slow for a few moments, but then it all came roaring forth. She felt his hands all over her, cupping her breasts, holding her to him, fixing her legs more solidly around him, and his cock pounded in her harder and harder. Her thighs were aching and her muscles protested but within her, oh within her he was so good and hard and his speed and force made the pleasure bubble and spill over within her. They were gone quick, done; his need burst within her. Already, with a shout, he was coming in her and on her thighs. She pressed her head against his chest and bit, hard, as she felt her release burst over and in her, oh it felt so good, and a long loud howl of satisfaction whirled from his throat and made her shiver against him.

They fell back and down to the floor of the tub, and lay there gasping together for moments on moments. His hands were in her hair, brushing tendrils from her face, and his eyes searched hers, asking for approval, pleading, and when she nodded, breathless, she was rewarded with a grin that felt like the sun rise.

In turn, she kissed him, kissed over his neck and his jaw, and tenderly over the bite mark she had made. "Does it hurt?" she whispered.

"No," he murmured. "It doesn't hurt. All my hurts are good now…" He wrapped his arms around her, and threw his head back with a sigh of contentment.

Their rendezvous was ended, suddenly, as a loud rap came on the door (Jacob had fixed it earlier). Billy Black's voice came through it: "Jacob? I'm home. I thought we were doing dinner together?"

Bella and Jacob's gazes met, both with their mouths open and eyes wide. Now what?

_XOXOXOOXOOXOOXOXOXOXOXOXOX_

_Jacob's POV_

_XOXOXOXOXXXOOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_

Jacob bit the inside of his cheek and began to gnaw at it. Shit. Dad was home. Why did he have to come home now? What was Jacob going to do with Bella? They couldn't be seen leaving the bathroom together, of course.

Argh. He admitted most of his frustration was because he had wanted to exult in this moment. Again. It had felt so good to lie in the nettles with her earlier, and now he had wanted to be like that again, feeling good inside and feeling how satisfied she was with him…feeling her love, and seeing it in her eyes. It hadn't ceased to amaze him, since he had heard her say she loved him, and yet it felt right, like it should have been said eons ago.

God to have her in here with him, and the water going everywhere…to see the drops sliding silky down her body, and to have her bottom beneath his hands, and hear her sounds…fuck. Fuck it was good. He felt ready to do it again, almost, but now was not the time. And then the way she had just reacted to him, squeezing against him, and her shiver when he howled…

"I, I'll be there in a sec," he shouted to his dad. When the wheelchair rumbled off, Jacob nuzzled his nose against Bella's ear. "Did I scare you?" he whispered. "All of my…the force, and the howling, um…it just came out of me. I'm sorry if it – "

"Don't be silly!" She smiled at him. "I enjoyed it."

He smiled back at her, and reached a hand up to trace her mouth. "Bella, Bella," he said, shaking his head. "I love you."

She kissed his cheek. "And me, you. But we've got to get up!"

Reluctantly they both stood up, and while Bella dried, changed back into her clothes and gathered her swim things in the bathroom, Jacob snuck out and put on a proper, clean set of clothing. Then, Bella slipped down the hall past Billy in the kitchen, and stood by the doorway, waiting. She looked back at him, and Jacob could tell her eyes were asking him: Are you coming with me?

He had to. There was no way he wasn't going to. So Jacob nodded to her, and stepped into the kitchen and placed his hands on his father's shoulders. "Dad. Ah, I've got to go help Bella. Her car broke down on the way back from the beach, and she's sort of stranded. I'm just going to go get it working again and maybe drive her home. I'll be back soon. Sorry about dinner…"

Billy turned his head in his wheelchair, but he couldn't quite get a good look at Jacob's face because of the height difference. Jacob could feel his father's tension in the air, that nervousness that was so quick to come into Billy Black's eyes, and then Billy turned his head back to his dinner. "Son, do you think that's such a good idea? I mean…with you being in this condition until the day after tomorrow. I think you should stay here. Let those…let those over the Quileute borders take care of her. She's theirs, anyway."

Billy's voice was laced with contempt in the last sentence. And Jacob knew that "those over the border" was a nice way of talking about the vampires. He sighed. Billy was not going to make this easy. "Look, I've got to. I'll be careful, I promise. It'll be a matter of minutes."

Billy shook his head. "Yes, but then driving her back, that will take more than a few minutes. What if something were to happen, Jake? I know you've been doing fine…but this is different. This is Bella Swan. You are always different with her."

Damn it, Jacob hated it when Billy did this. He always made it harder to do any simple thing. He over thought things and he was always being cautious. Anything with Bella, anything with the vampires, and he was even more cautious. He thought of Bella as one of the vampires, almost, from the way he talked about her. It made bile rise in the back of Jacob's throat.

"Look," he barked, "I'm going whether you like it or not. It'll be fine. See ya."

He grabbed his shoes from the hallway, and didn't look in Bella's eyes as they stepped out the door. When they were sitting in the car, Bella looked over, and put her hand over his.

Jacob let a big sigh come out. "He's always like that. Fuck if it doesn't get old. Bells, we can't drive this back now; my whole alibi will fall through. How about I walk you back? You can get your car tomorrow. It's not like you really need it anyway…_he_…always drives you."

He watched from the corner of his eye as she bit her lip, and her gaze went down to the floor for a few moments. Damn it he was letting his anger out on her. This isn't how it was supposed to be, after the wonderful day they had had. Plus, he felt the bristling of anger churning in him as a dangerous prospect, a possibility of phasing. He needed to stop.

Jacob forced himself to smile, and took her hand. "Come on."

Holding her hand, Jacob walked them all the way to the Quileute border. Once they were over, he breathed a sigh of relief. Now if he got angry – no, no he would not phase! – there was less of the risk of his pack sensing it, and less of the…he gulped…_possibility_ that Sam had talked about, happening.

For a while they took Bella's pace down the road, going up the road in the direction of her house. They walked in silence.

Then, Jacob couldn't stand it anymore. Tugging her to him, he wrapped his arms around her, and breathed in her scent. Mmm. Now he felt calm.

"Jacob," she spoke into his chest. "I want us to talk a little."

"Okay." They started to walk again.

"Well, I just…I'm worried about you. How are you ever going to talk to the other wolves about this? And Sam? And Billy, for that matter…he seemed upset."

Jacob took a deep breath, and looked at her sternly. "Look, you've got enough to…just…let me handle it, okay? I'll be fine. Don't worry about me."

She frowned, and then murmured, "Alright. I'll try."

Jacob turned to look at her. She looked different now, back in her regular clothes, a plain blue shirt and a pair of jeans. But she was his Bella. _His_. Her love for him was there in the way she squeezed his hand, and when she felt his gaze on her, she pulled hers from the road ahead and smiled to see him looking. Ah, to finally have a smile when he looked at her, instead of a half-grimace that tried to hide itself and not hurt his feelings! He felt the same swell of joy that had come in him earlier, whooping in his head, and making his heartbeat quicken.

"Bells, can I ask you…can I ask you to be careful, when you talk to Cullen? I just…I worry about your task, in talking to him, too. Or all of them…" He thought about it, suddenly. How would the other Cullens react to knowing that Bella had gone to the wolf side now? Would there be a fight? He shuddered. Although part of him itched to rip some of them apart, especially Edward for his hurting of Bella, and that doctor, Carlisle, for allowing it in the first place, he knew that would really help nothing. And it would hurt his pack, too. He didn't want them to go to war over him, and he knew Bella might feel guilty if they did. She didn't want to be a Helen of Troy.

A long silence followed Jacob's question about Cullen, and then Bella said quietly, "You know, I…it's funny, I've known him for years…but I am still not sure how he will react to this. It's one of the first times I can't pretend that I know what he's going to do or say. I don't know if he's going to be angry, or…sad…" Her voice broke a little there, and she finished in barely a whisper, "He and I…we think we know each other, but then there are mysteries that we don't really know. We never really know each other's true minds."

Jacob wasn't sure if she was referring to some specific incident, but he decided not to ask. Maybe it was time to change the topic. He brushed his thumb softly down her skin and turned to her, asking, "Do you want to do that biking you suggested earlier?"

"What? But, aren't they back at – "

"It's okay." He felt suddenly excited. "I'll be quick."

So, reluctantly, he left her alone for a moment, and rushed back to his house. He heaved the bike over one shoulder, and rushed back to her. When he put the bike down in front of her, Bella laughed, and giving him that flirting tone again she said, "Only one?"

"Hell yes!" He replied. "You haven't driven one of these in eons! I wouldn't fancy you crashing us and me having to explain to Charlie why I'm bringing you home in pieces. C'mon."

He was already on the bike, ready to go. With a laugh, Bella slid in behind him. He felt giddy with warmth as he positioned her arms around his waist, and he felt her lean into his back. He kicked the bike off the brake and yelled over the motor's sudden roar, "Hold on tight!"

They roared over the road, night fast falling behind them and sending the shadows of pines onto the road ahead. Jacob laughed to himself as Bella hugged herself tighter to him. He could feel the clench of her thighs behind his legs, and her soft body was pressed up the closest it could come to him. She had her nose tucked into his shoulder, and he could feel her smiling against his back.

They wheeled to stop in front of Charlie's house seconds later, it seemed. Jacob suddenly wished he had taken longer to get her back, as he sighted the familiar house. He caught the silhouette of Charlie at the window looking out as he turned to help Bella off the motorcycle, and grinned to himself. Then, with Bella standing in front of him, he grabbed her in his arms and hugged her.

She laughed, and pressed a quick kiss to that bite mark she'd given him on his chest, and then she pulled away and he let her make the show of slapping in on the arm, though really it was him pushing against her so she wouldn't hurt her hand against him. Then, she turned to her house. He could see her visibly change in a second, her posture a little drooped, and her gaze a little more serious.

"Tell me how things go with you, Jake," she murmured, and then she was practically marching to the house, and she looked back once before the door and he saw her wink. Ah. So she was nervous about talking to Cullen, but she hoped – or felt? He didn't feel it, he was nervous – that it would go fine.

The ride back to his house felt awfully lonely.

_Bella's POV_

When Bella walked into the house, all she wanted was to do her laundry, scarf down some food, and go to bed. Her body absolutely _ached_! But at the same time, she thrummed with nerves from the question Jacob had asked about Edward, and she also felt light and bubbly from riding behind Jacob on the motorcycle.

Her feelings were such a jumble that, when she had said hi to Charlie and turned to see Alice sitting at the dining table, her expression fell. She felt the frown on her face and tried to coax it away, to stop any panic before it reached her eyes. As it was a gasping little breath came from her mouth, and so, shoving away her nerves, she used that. Flinging herself into the little vampire's arms, she said, "Alice! Hi!" and hugged her.

The vampire hugged her back, oh so gently, and then pushed Bella an arm's length away. "Bella, are you alright? You're not usually one to hug people…or greet anyone so enthusiastically."

The pixie-haired vampire studied Bella's face a moment, brows furrowing, pouty mouth turned down in concern. The ruffles on the neckline of her blue dress mesmerized Bella for a second, before Bella looked back into those eyes and said, "I just…you know…miss him."

Alice's eyes followed Bella as she pulled away from those cold fingers and started putting together a salad and a vegetable stir fry. The vampire glided into the kitchen and sat primly on the counter top, watching as Bella put things together.

Bella decided Alice wanted to know more. She was waiting for explanation. This girl always wanted to know everything! Alice…Bella would miss her, once…but she shoved that thought away, and said, "It's just that the crowd at the beach really grated on my nerves today. Mike was flirting with me in front of Jessica as usual, and she hated it as usual, so I walked over to Jacob's, because my car wouldn't start. We had lunch together, and now he's got the car over at his house and he's going to bring it over tomorrow. It was a relief to see someone who genuinely cares about me, you know?"

Alice was behind her now, as Bella cooked, but Bella could hear the chirp in Alice's voice as she said, "Well, I care! I've been here almost all day; just ask Charlie. I…I saw you in a vision, and when I came over here Charlie said you were at the beach in La Push, and I couldn't go there, so…I decided to wait for you here."

Bella mindfully stopped her jaw from clenching. This. Here it was again. The way she was owned, and the way she had allowed herself to be owned, by Edward and by the other Cullens. It hadn't looked like this in her eyes before, it had seemed like love, and it still was, but…it didn't feel right anymore. It didn't feel like where she wanted to be. She wanted Jacob and his unconditional love, and the freedom she felt with him, and that feeling of being aware of herself. She wanted that, not to be some chattel.

She took a deep breath, swallowed down the anger, and said, "What did you see, Alice?"

Charlie had the television on loud, so he couldn't hear them, but Bella glanced over anyway. Maybe if he would come over to talk to Alice more – he was still fond of her over all the other Cullens – she could eat her dinner in peace without having to feel nervous with all of Alice's searching looks and questions.

Alice didn't even bother glancing over her shoulder to check on Charlie. Even so she leaned forward a little on her chair, as Bella sat down at the table and started eating. "Bella, I didn't really see anything. Jacob blocked it. I know that Jacob is a friend of yours, but you know how I get when I can't see things properly…Only the werewolves appear as grey area like that in my mind. You know, you smell like him all over!"

She crinkled her nose, and then situated her hands perfectly clasped in her lap. "Please tell me what's going on, Bella. I love you. I care for you. And I'd rather one of my best friends didn't reek!" She laughed her tinkling bell laugh, and Bella smiled.

It was hard for her to think of not having Alice as her friend anymore. Alice was reasonable; maybe she would remain Bella's friend after the news broke. But the others? Bella doubted it. And there was no way, if they all left, that Alice would leave Jasper…Bella felt a clench in her throat at the idea of them all being gone, but then she thought of Jacob and the wolves, and felt a little calmer. She resisted the shaky teary feeling that Alice's caring tone had amazingly summoned in her, and finished chewing.

The words, "We just sat around and watched tv" were almost out of Bella's mouth before she realized, what was she doing? That would sound like an excuse. Alice hadn't even asked a question, really, she had just commented that Jacob had blocked her vision and it was annoying. Okay. Fine. But then what did she mean by asking Bella to tell her what was going on? She knew that Bella had stayed at Jacob's a long time, to smell so strongly of him. That was it. Bella would pretend ignorance. After all, _nothing was going on_, was her lie, right? Her stomach felt sick at the thought of lying, and she had to force herself to keep eating.

"What do you mean? Nothing's going on. I just missed Edward and wanted some company deeper than the riffraff." Bella forced herself to smile.

Alice rocked back on her chair, smiling. "He's going to be back tomorrow. I know you'll miss him tonight, but he promised me he would. I miss him when he's gone, too, you know."

Bella finished her plate off. "I know."

It was a relief when Alice left a little while later, after some pointless chatter, trying to convince Bella to buy some new clothes for school that was starting next month, and a bye to Charlie. As Bella was gathering her swim things, about to trek to the laundry room, Charlie said, "So, how was it biking back on the back of Jacob's motorcycle? I don't approve of those things, you know. They're dangerous."

Bella sighed for more reasons than one. "I know. But it was the only way back. And he insisted on taking only one, you know how he is."

Charlie's eyes sparkled with the hint of a grin as he looked at her from over the couch back. "I do know."

Bella couldn't help but laugh at his reaction – he knew how persistent Jacob was and had been in trying to get her from Edward. She walked past him before they could talk anymore about it, and after shedding her clothes for her pajamas and shoving the "Jacob-reeking" items into the washer, fell into bed.

At least Charlie approved of Jacob.

Sleep that night was fitful, even though Bella was tired from all the physical activity earlier that day. She ached between her thighs, her back was sensitive still, and she could still feel (with a grin) the sting from Jacob's hand on her buttocks. When she did sleep, the nightmare of Edwards came to her again, with Jacob telling her to decide at the end, and by morning she woke up feeling an immense relief that she HAD decided.

At the same time, she was exhausted and nervous, and all she could think as she got ready to see Edward that afternoon – he had arranged for them to go out to dinner that evening – was, _I wish Jacob were here._

She was in the middle of aimless summer reading in attempts to distract her mind from driving herself crazy when the familiar knock came at the door.

Edward was back.

When she opened the door, he was as dazzling as ever. His hair was perfectly combed, and it glowed a golden-red in the cloudy Forks sunlight. He smiled his perfect, crooked little smile, and Bella's heart thudded in her, and she thought, _he is so beautiful_. She reached out to touch him – that urge to touch him, to know him, whooshed in her very blood, it seemed – and clasped his hands. They were icy, and she resisted the urge to shiver, as his hands trailed up her arms lightly, and then went around her waist as he walked them through the door.

The discomfort of that icy touch set her back in reality. She was with Jacob now. Permanently. But he and she were the only ones who knew. And in Edward's every perfection, he was perfect, not for _her_, she realized, but for any human. He had seemed like her Edward. He had proclaimed himself hers, and her blood, the taste and song that made him feel alive. But…Bella bit her lip, as they sat down on their familiar couch spot. Edward's filling her life did not feel natural and right, after Jacob. It hadn't even really felt right _before_ Jacob – and that truth, denied, was what made her heart heavy each time she'd left Jacob to return to Edward's arms.

She had been telling herself for so long that she and Edward were meant to be together, that she had convinced herself of it. It had taken Jacob's passionate, unrestrained kiss to pull her out of it. But she couldn't tell all this to Edward! It would be too much for him. Wouldn't it? She didn't want him to go to the Volturi again.

"Bella…" Edward's whisper shook Bella from her reverie. She turned to stare into those golden eyes, and forced a smile.

"I missed you." Her words sounded hollow even to her.

That perfect brow crinkled, and Edward leaned in closer to her on the couch. Bella shivered this time. Thank god Charlie wasn't around to complicate things more right now. He'd gotten a load of paperwork at the office yesterday.

"What's wrong? You've got your mind on something, I can tell. I spoke to Alice on the way back; she called me. She said something about a vision of you and Jacob, but she couldn't see because of him. Is everything alright with you? How…how is Jacob, anyway?"

Bella almost felt a crazy laugh burble out of her, but instead the sound was a groan of despair. This was so hard. After years with Edward, she couldn't say that she didn't love Edward at all; she did, and she didn't want to hurt him. But she had to. She loved Jacob more, much more. Jacob was imperfect, but he was right. He felt right in a way Edward never had, not in all that time she'd told herself Edward was IT.

"Jacob is doing fine, as far as I know…he's fixing my car, and he's going to bring it back later today. I went to spend time with him because the crowd at the beach just…wasn't doing it for me."

Edward leaned back against the couch arm now, away from her. Bella looked at him, watching as his gaze raked all over her face, searching for the answers, for her thoughts which he could never read. Finally, with a thoughtful, "Hmm," Edward said, "Alright then."

Bella was surprised. He was dropping it? Wow. Tension rolled out of her, and she held back a sigh of relief. For a time, she was free of giving answers. Thank god. It was just too much. Gratefully, she relaxed back against the couch as he turned on an old favorite film of theirs. When his hand crept into her hair, slowly, she leaned to the side and forced herself to lie against him, as she had so many times before.

His body beneath her was cold and hard, so different from Jacob's heat and fleshy warmth. Oh Jacob…how was he doing? Today was his third and final day of heat. She wondered how he was coping.

For the film, Bella couldn't focus. She couldn't stop thinking of Jacob, and everything that had happened. She was shocked, really, that it had happened, but then the shock would fade away and be replaced by warmth. Then she would think of Alice, interrogating her yesterday, and Edward who now lay so passively beside her, his hand playing in her hair. She felt awful for doing this to him. But the inattentiveness to self, which she had been more prone to feeling before, had lifted with Jacob.

Now she couldn't hate herself anymore, because she felt known and loved. She told herself firmly that she didn't feel guilty for making Edward worry, and she found that, actually, she didn't. She tried not to feel guilty for what was going to happen with Edward. It had to happen. She couldn't live like this anymore, loved but unfulfilled by her would-be lover, with her self confidence constantly ripped apart by his simple way of _being,_ his utter perfection; and all the while her beating herself up for just being herself. It was insane. It was too much.

Jacob had known it was too much for her. He had told her this, and he had seen it in her…how much she was killing herself inside, to live properly on the outside for Edward. It had taken Jacob to finally wake her up…and Bella felt, as she sat there, her old ways of thinking and her old feelings for Edward sloughing away. It was like melting snow. She marveled that it was leaving her so fast; for a moment, she even felt a twinge of anger with herself. How could she be so heartless? But then she thought, well, maybe it was so easy because in actuality, she had had little warmth for Edward. Her feelings had been more worshipful, and more of fulfilling herself by constantly being around him, instead of allowing herself, and her natural feelings for Jacob, fulfill herself. Instead she had beaten herself up mentally for what was only normal! Her feelings now of being sad to hurt Edward were what she had pretended she was doing to Jacob – letting him down slowly, and kindly. But now, she was preparing to do that with Edward.

It was fucked up. Fucked. Bella knew it, and she knew that was how Jacob would say it. She was tired of this carousel ride. It was time to stop going in circles. She was going to get off the ride and enter back into reality. She was going to be a self again, herself, and not a carbon copy that shadowed Edward.

Simultaneous elation and terror rose in her, as the movie ended and Edward left to get ready for their dinner out tonight.

Bella tore through her closet like she never had before. It wasn't that she cared what she was wearing. She just needed her hands _moving_, to match her scrambled mind. So she bit her lip and talked to herself and hissed at the pain in her back from leaning deep into her closet. Her hands frantically dug through clothes. Dresses and heels that Alice had bought her flew from the closet to flop onto Bella's bed in a pile that gradually grew more monstrous. Her lip became so gnawed that it started bleeding, and Bella swore as she went to get something from the bathroom to clean up.

Her eyes, when she looked at herself in the mirror, were wild. Her pupils were large. Her face looked paler than normal. Ugh, she was turning into a mess over Edward! As usual!

She sat down on the toilet, and put her face in her hands. She hated this. All of it. It was crumbling her down in the same way that being with Edward had crumbled down her sense of self and strength. Oh, god, she was even crying now! She ripped toilet paper from the roll and wiped madly at the tears streaking down her face, and swore at the bathroom tiles beneath her. None of this was like her, the crying or the swearing, but she was going so crazy right now that it actually felt kind of good.

_There, damnit_, Bella thought, as she tossed the sodden paper in the trash. She got up, scrubbed and cleaned her face frantically, applied some makeup, and stepped out of the bathroom. Edward stood on the stairway landing, leaning against her bedroom door frame.

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOOXOXXOXOXOXOOX_

_Told you I was evil! heheh. I was going to be more evil and leave it at 'Edward was back', but, that was too much. You've all been so lovely with the reviews. Thank you! More sooon!_


	6. Chapter 6

_I felt really bad for everyone in suspense, agony, and anger over there, wondering what the hell is going to happen, so...I decided to update. Haha, I'm glad the chapter got people wondering! =D As for questions people have on the heat - strangely, the way I decided to go was, if Jacob were to phase, the other wolves would be "infected" by his heat. I know, weird, right? And uh...that comes to play in this chapter. Tell me what you think. You might hate it. With those words, I give you chapter 6..._

**CRESCENT MOON**

**by The Ultimate Otaku**

_CHAPTER SIX_

_XOXOXOXXOOXOXOXXOOXXOXOOXOXOX_

_Bella's POV_

_XOXOXOXOOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO_

Edward smiled. "Well, I think this is a first. Bella, not ready for a night out in five seconds?" He laughed his tinkling laugh of beauty, and Bella felt her heart melt in sadness at the sound. She would hate hurting him. He was so beautiful and he meant well…he just didn't know what he was doing.

It wasn't all his beauty and her imperfections, that wasn't the entire problem. It was the way he tried so hard to know her, to fulfill her, and failed. He protected her, he listened to her…but he also hid things from her. He was never truly himself around her, because he hid things and repressed his very physical being around her. It was different than Jacob making sure not to use his full strength. It was harder for Edward to hold back his bloodlust than for Jacob to not lean too much against her. And the way that Bella had seen Edward be around his family, was never quite the way he was with her, no matter how tender he could be sometimes…

For a while the relationship had been exciting and new and amazing…a long while…but the affect it had ultimately had on her, and her friends and family, was damaging. Edward had damaged her enough, and Bella didn't want that anymore. He genuinely loved her, in possibly the strongest love he had ever felt for anyone but family, but…his way of being around her was not of equals. It was not of freedom. And because his love for her stole too much from her self and her quality of life, it was not worth keeping.

Jacob's love was better-rounded. It was healthy and right for her. She felt like she belonged, around Jacob and the wolves. It was warm and felt like community. There was not the constant pressure of hiding secrets, histories, and physicality that came with being around the Cullen family. It was just love, simple and strong and honest in all its good and bad.

In response to her long, long look at him, Edward stepped forward, and took her hand. His smile was gentle. "Come on," he said. "I'll help you."

As usual, he didn't understand anything that was going on within her.

She let him steer her into her room, still thinking. Oh how hard tonight was going to be. But she could do it. Not for Jacob, although partly, yes. Partly, because he was a part of her now, and the part she wanted to keep instead of Edward. Edward had never truly been "a part of her," because he never understood her or loved her for herself. The Bella that Edward loved was controlled and lesser, somehow, than Jacob's Bella. Edward's Bella was weak and contained and…lifeless, really, in comparison to Jacob's. She wanted to be Jacob's.

So they looked through her clothes, and finally Bella picked out a pale green sweater, along with a dark denim skirt and a dark navy-blue tank top with rose designs at the neckline and beneath the bust. She fluffed her hair out in front of the mirror, with Edward standing behind her. She knew he could smell her scent, and somehow what had once been comforting and sweet now made her nervous. And he was watching her every move, too.

Tonight was the night of wrongness. It felt so off kilter!

Finally, Edward handed her the one pair of heels she owned, and as she sat down to put them on, his arm slinked to wrap around her waist. When she leaned down to get the buckle on her shoes, he pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head. Bella blinked back tears, and resisted biting her lip again. The dread and horror and sadness rose up in her throat and she choked it back to lie heavy in her heart.

_You can do this, Bella,_ she said. _Tonight is it. Tell him. Tell him now. Don't spend the rest of the summer with this feeling in you!_

During the drive up to Port Angeles, they talked, and even laughed. But Bella's laughter was hollow, just as her smiles were. He told her of an item of jewelry he had seen that he dearly wished he could buy without feeling like she would become embarrassed and never wear it. He told her, when she remained quiet, of Emmett's antics on the way up to the hunting place – a fight with a bear, started when the bear crossed the road – and of Alice's anxiety and then happiness when Edward came home, and, Edward claimed, that was the cause of his questioning her earlier.

Bella wanted to sigh. In the minds of the Cullens, it was okay to treat her as lesser. After all, she was the fragile human. She was clumsy. She had to be treated this way. It was only for her own safety, right? They did it FOR her, as a favor, in their thinking, by saving her unnecessary trouble. And when they thought she might not like it or be comfortable with it, like Edward did now with his questioning her earlier, then they justified it somehow in their heads.

She was tired of being treated like that. She was not a child, she was an adult, and when she was silly, like with Jacob, it was a good silly. All ways of being felt comfortable with Jacob, now, that is. She could be silly, grown up…sexy…

Bella put those thoughts out of her head, and ordered pasta for her dinner. Dinner was a silly idea really, seeing as Edward didn't eat, but Alice had thought of it, and since her 'birthday' had been recently, Edward had asked Bella, and Bella had agreed.

For the first few moments, Bella ate silently, and Edward simply watched. It made her feel nervous as she had never before felt around him. He was able to read every mind except hers, but it made her skin crawl to have him staring at her. He had been able to tell earlier that something was "wrong"; could he see in her now the resolve to talk to him about Jacob?

For a second, the thought crossed her mind: _What if he reads Jacob's mind right now, as Jacob is in heat? He would see the visions of me that Jacob can't help but have. He might even want to hurt Jacob…what if Jacob is thinking about us?_

She bit her lip, and decided that waiting would not help. She was already apprehensive enough. Having Edward find out through the medium of Jacob's mind would only make things worse. That was the worst scenario; there was, at least, a worse scenario then telling him herself, right now, during their night out.

"Edward," she blurted, but her voice was soft and hesitant. She stared down at the table. "I want to talk to you about something."

He leaned forward across the table – she had feigned coldness, and he had sat there instead of beside her. She watched his mouth, the mouth that had once so enamored her, as he said smoothly, "I knew there was something going on. Alice couldn't figure it out, and I could tell she was worried. But most of what you said yesterday dissuaded her. What is it?"

His voice became tender as he asked the question, and Bella felt her resolve quaver a little. But no! She had to do this. It was for her and Jacob. She had to.

Where to begin? Bella bit her lip, and forced herself to look straight into Edward's eyes. "I'm not going to start with any lies. I'm not going to say, as you did to me once, that this would be best for us." She saw his hands clench against each other, and a hardness combined with sadness enter his gaze.

She took a deep breath, and continued, "I know that what I am going to say is not good for us. It is going to most probably break down any possibility of any 'us' in the future. I will not say, Edward…" She felt tears in her eyes, and quickly flicked them away, strangely angry at her own crying, "I will not say that it does not hurt me…to part from you." She swallowed hard.

Edward opened his mouth to speak, and then closed it. She had never seen him unsure like this. His glittering, golden eyes were like hard pieces of glass. They cut her like a knife, staring at her unblinking, and then he murmured, "Please finish."

His voice was like a stone. It was dead, and heavy, and hard. She wondered suddenly, would he hurt her? Would he fly into a rage? She knew Edward was prone to dramatics beyond what he ever showed her; it was something she had come to hear of, but never really know herself, when Alice had told her of his holing himself up when he left her, and then went to the Volturi. Edward was much more than he ever showed himself to be around her.

"It hurts me to say…it…" She took a deep breath. "I love you, Edward. You know I do. But…my heart has been so heavy and confused, even as we were together. You know it was only recently. You know things changed, when you returned after the Volturi. I know that you left for my safety, but…I needed you!"

Her voice was sharp and harsh now. "I needed you, as I had never needed anyone. And you left me, and you pretended you did not love me. I had given everything to you, practically given up who I was, and you just left me alone there…I felt like I would die…Jacob was all that saved me. His care and attention, and then his love…supported me."

She couldn't look at him. She looked away, and concentrated on taking deep gulping breaths. Then she dared a quick glance at him. Edward had his teeth clenched, and his hands were in two fists on the table. He was staring off into space, and his eyes were still like barely contained fire.

"What I want to tell you, is…I love Jacob. He nourishes me and loves me in ways that make me feel so alive…I have hated the confusion, this love triangle between us, of my choosing you or Jacob…I know it has hurt the both of you more than me, and I am so sorry for that. But I just…I am tired of that whirligig going around in circles, in my head and between all three of us. Recently, I spent time with Jacob…" Her voice had become a whisper. "I realized that I feel very strongly about him, and that so much hurt is in me, still, and that I have lost so much self-awareness…" She struggled for words, struggled to finish somehow. "Does any of what I said make sense?"

Bella hated to put Edward on the spot. She hated, in fact, to be here any longer. Edward continued to stare off into the distance, and his burning eyes scared her just a little. She didn't want to leave him abruptly though, because that is what he had done to her. Except he had been lying, and this was real. She knew if she left now, it would give him more pain. She did not want to hurt him; the less pain, the better. So she forced herself to remain in her seat.

His voice was as cold as a glacier. She hadn't heard him this cold, this hardened, since he spoke to the Volturi; since that first day, when he had smelled her blood. "Of course I understand it. It is simply that you are human, with human desires. It is that you want to live, and experience all the things of living. I spoke to you of this long ago, when first you told me that you wanted to be turned…into something like myself. I warned you of what you would miss, and yet you seemed so willing to give it all up…it astounded me, and made me fearful, because I do not want you whom I love to lose your soul. It seemed to me then, though, that you were very determined to be with me…" His voice broke.

Edward cleared his throat, and started again. It was a human gesture that being around her had made easier to do as part of the human show, Bella supposed. "I see that when I left, it wrought great changes…which I hadn't anticipated. Well, actually, I guess it worked!" He laughed bitterly. "I wanted you to forget about me. I wanted you to not need me. I wanted you to fall out of love of me. I wanted to keep you safe, and I left for your own sake, to protect you, not me or my family; I knew that it would hurt me to leave you, that I would experience a pain beyond any I had before…and so I did. And then…then you came to me, and loved me again, and…and I marveled, as I had so many times before, at the human heart's capacity to love, and specifically at your desire to be with me. But…"

Edward's voice was so quiet then that she couldn't hear him for a moment, so Bella leaned forward, whispering, "What?"

He lifted his head up from where it had hung down as he spoke so quietly. His face was twisted and contorted in front of her, and his burning-fire eyes had turned into sad embers. "If only I could cry, you would see my pain. Instead I can only sit here!" His fist slammed against the table suddenly, and Bella jumped. A crack appeared in the table.

Edward spoke through dry lips. He stared at her with an intensity that made her heart thump wildly in her chest, but she forced herself to remain looking at him.

"I realize now," Edward said, and his smile was bitter, "That my plan worked. You did realize that you do not need me. I do not fulfill you. I cannot, because of what I am…and Jacob has satisfied all those human longings within you…longings that I cannot. You have chosen life, and a love that…although with a dog, and a mere boy, hopefully will blossom." His tone was a mix of anger and scorn, and then a tender hope, in his last sentence.

Finally, with a sigh, he looked away from her. Bella felt her heart rhythm slow, and she breathed deeply again.

Edward took a deep breath, too, and then abruptly stopped it. She saw churning within him, memories of when he had first smelled her scent, and wished that she could somehow cloud the smell of her blood in this moment, to lessen his pain.

"I only wish that…that you had realized sooner, how it was within you. That my plan has worked now, so long after, and you and Jacob have…come together…what was it that helped decide it within you? That, I would like to know."

Edward was looking at her, with that same searching gaze he had had so many times before, except now there was not eagerness and excitement behind it, but a hard and cold resignation. Bella was shocked that he wasn't angry, that he wasn't begging her to stay. That would have even maybe been easier than his cold neutrality. She knew he loved her. But…_but really_, she thought, _I shouldn't be surprised. He always speaks of himself as if he is a monster. He told me so many times that I didn't really want to be a vampire, that I didn't know what I was talking about – or at least, that is what he tried to communicate to me, gently. And only now do I realize, looking at him, in his loneliness, and feeling how he tried and failed to fulfill me…I realize that he was right. I do not want that cold future, with so few to love me, and none of the warmth that Jacob brings. How do I answer him?_

Bella wasn't sure if she should tell Edward what her and Jacob had done, and that, when Jacob was in heat. Edward might decide to be less calm, and try and hurt Jacob.

So she said quietly, hurriedly, "We…we talked about everything, and…and his tenderness got through to me on many levels."

Edward leaned back in his chair, and his gaze pierced her. She sat there, and decided, she wasn't going to let him intimidate her. So she sat up more in her own chair, and looked him a hard look straight in the eyes.

His golden gaze moved across her face, took in her straight posture, the firm set of her shoulders, and then moved back to her eyes. He said finally, clipped, "I see already that you have changed."

She could feel in all that coldness that his words sent towards her, so much pain and agony. He was trying to hide it, as he stood up. But it was there in his eyes, always. She could feel it, in how he pulled her chair back for her when she stood, and for a moment his hand drifted towards her back, and then abruptly he let his arm fall to his side. It was there again, when he held the door open for her, but did not meet her gaze. And when she shivered in the cold night air, he shrugged his coat from his shoulders with a stiff motion, and handed it to her, saying briskly, "Keep it. Just for tonight. Then you can get rid of it."

He drove like a mad man through the night, and she held onto the side of her door with a strange calm within her, occasionally broken by his swerving as he changed a lane like lightning, or barreled around a sharp turn. She let him drive in silence, and she could tell as he drove, that he was losing himself – ironic, when she had lost herself in him. Edward was losing his calmness, his neutrality; the fire was back in his eyes. His hands gripped the steering wheel hard. Every movement of his body was frenzied and lightning-quick. All pieces of humanity that he had worn for her were disintegrating. She wondered if the vampire in him, the anger he was trying to shield her from – even now, shielding her from parts of him he felt dangerous – would come out tonight. She hoped it would not become revenge on Jacob or the other wolves.

As they arrived at her house, Edward took a deep, deep breath. It hissed through his teeth, and when he put his hand over hers, for a brief moment, he was calm again. He turned to look at her, and she felt like all the pain in his face would make her heart stop. She blinked wildly against tears again, and said, "I'm sorry, Edward."

He shut his eyes, as if the sound of her name on his lips was holy, or hellish, she didn't know which. Then he opened them again, and for a moment, his eyes wandered over her with tenderness. She forced herself to let him, to let him look at her and love her – as she had never done with Jacob, when she was trying to spurn him – and shut her own eyes against his pain.

Then he was opening her car door, but he did not help her out. She handed him back his coat, whispering, "Thank you."

She turned away, and his voice came from behind her. "Goodbye, Bella Swan."

The car revved away, and once sure it was gone, Bella ran into the house. She bolted past Charlie, leapt into her room, and by the time her body was on the bed, the tears came raining down. Her last night with Edward was done.

She let the sobs shake and shake through her, until she fell asleep.

_XOXOOXOXOXOXXOXOOXXOXOXOXOXO_

_Jacob's POV_

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXXOXOO_

The third day was by far the hardest of all for Jacob.

From morning until the afternoon, he was in the throes of it. He was captured by it like a fish in a net, and drowning in it. Nothing would make it let go of him. His lust was like a wild animal that became him; he had transformed into it, and left Jacob behind. His body burned, and burned, and no amount of blankets over him helped him sweat it out, because it was not a normal fever. When his father tried to come in, to speak to him, Jacob shouted, "GO AWAY!" and when he thought about it later, in a brief moment of clarity, he still did not feel sorry.

He was so aroused, that it was beyond pleasure. It was pain. It was a gnawing, crazy thing. He saw Bella with every blink of his eyes. His body was super sensitive. He knew it was all enhanced because of the fulfillment he had allowed his body to experience yesterday. Now it was angry with him. It wanted more. The heat built and built in him, until he felt he could scream. Maybe he did scream, he wasn't sure. Deep down, he knew there was joy, because Bella loved him, because she was his now, and he was hers, and he would not be trouble for her anymore; only joy. He would make himself her sun, as she had described him.

But right now, Jacob was simply fire. He wanted to eat something, to lick it all up with his flames, this Jacob-fire that he was. He wanted someone to touch him, to need him. He wanted another body to lie over him, or to allow him to dominate it. His heat had been boiled down to the very basic urges, and it had little discrimination anymore. The visions of Bella fell away at one point, and he was simply a pair of hands that rubbed and caressed his own body, and each time he rose to his peak it was sheer joy, and then when he fell again, he fell into the darkest discontentment.

When a car rumbled into the drive in the late afternoon, Jacob forced himself to get up. He forced himself to ask, _what is it? Who is it?_ He wanted desperately to be distracted from his inner fire. Why oh why was it so hungry today? He wondered if any of his brothers had ever given in to their heat. Did they know that after you indulged your heat, it drove you crazy the next day?

He brushed sweaty tendrils of hair from his forehead, and forced his window open. For a moment, blessed cool air entered, and Jacob sighed to feel it on his warm body. He was shirtless as usual, and the wind rippled across his chest, sighed at the nape of his neck, and gave him shivers of a momentary relief across his entire torso.

When he opened his eyes, he saw a shining silver car. The driver's door was open, with no driver in the car. That was all that Jacob registered in his rational mind, before the answer leapt to him as a growl in his throat: _Cullen! He must be here for me. Bella must've told him what happened, that she doesn't love him. Is he here to talk, or to fight?_

The fire of the heat in him did not give him time to decide or to think. It told him: _fight!_

As he leapt through the window, his mind didn't register the details of the car. He didn't notice that it was not the familiar silver Volvo; rather, it was a beat up thing, rusted on one door. The hood of the engine showed damage, even holes. A leak dribbled out beneath the car, and, if he had cared to inspect it, it was absent of one tire, already begun to be worked on by someone else. He did not see it. He did not really see anything.

Jacob charged towards the car, a great growl ripping from his throat. He felt the phasing come over him in mere seconds. His anger fueled it. In moments, his hands were larger; his hair was thicker; he was wolf, and his heavy paws pounded in two bounds to the car.

The giant, brown wolf turned its head, ears pricking up at the sound of his own front door opening. Framed in the doorway was his Alpha, who stepped forward lightly, and crouched into a fighter's pose as soon as he saw Jacob. The wolf, through his anger, heard the calmness in his Alpha's voice as he spoke to Billy Black, who immediately closed the door and wheeled away. But the wolf did not hear really hear what his Alpha was saying. All he could feel was a great disappointment, and anger, and heat. Where was his fight? Why was his Alpha here? He did not feel like taking orders. He felt like running. He was angry still, and the heat boiling in him was unbearable. He had to be satisfied.

_XOXOXOXOXOXOXOOXOXXOOXOX_

_Sam's POV_

_XOXOXOXXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOO_

Sam cursed himself upward and downward, as soon as he saw Jacob, in wolf form, in _heat_. He had got the car yesterday, in a stroke of coincidence that had seemed at the time like luck. After ridding a man (who lived just inside the Quileute borders) of hungry bears nearby, Sam was about to leave when the old man had asked him, "Son, would you like an old heap of junk for compensation? It's not much, but it'll go, and smoothly, with some work. What do ya say?"

"I know a friend who might find this a great distraction," he had said with a smile. As he had driven the car over today, he had had his doubts. Wasn't this too risky? Sam knew about risk. Ever since he had scarred Emily's face, he was always sure to be cautious and firm with his brothers. There was nothing as important to him as keeping his pack safe. He knew that he had to be firm, otherwise they would think that this was all fun and games. They would not obey him. It was not all fun. They all had responsibility.

To bring Jacob a car to work on during his last day was a risk, Sam had known. But he had remembered his own first heat, so long ago, and how miserable he had been for it – so intensely miserable and alone. So he figured Jacob, after all his hard work training the new pups recently, deserved some relief. Besides, it was Jacob's third day; things would be improving. The heat would not be so consuming.

Now, as Sam cautioned Billy to go back inside and stay there, Sam stepped forward and let his body fall into a fighting crouch. He was an absolute idiot to even come near Jacob, on a day like this. He should have kept in mind more, that as a wolf, Jacob's well-being was connected to all of his brothers; it was not an individual thing. What Sam had desired to be an act of kindness, was now in front of his very eyes, a giant risk, and a danger to his pack.

He assessed Jacob the wolf, as he remained steady in his crouch. His pack member was bristling with anger, panting. Sam could feel, with a brief brush of exploration, that Jacob's mind was not calm. It was roaring. His anger that had burst him out of his room was calming, and his disappointment – he had desired a fight? Ah, so he did seek an outlet for his frustrated energy; Sam wished he could have given him the car as distraction. All that was left was the heat, raging in him.

Sam dipped his mind to meet with his brother's again, in wonder. Why was the heat so wild? What had Jacob done to make it so? Sam knew that the slightest provocation to the heat could make it burn hotter and stronger, but this? This was beyond a slight provocation. Jacob was swallowed in it.

Sam gritted his teeth, and took a deep breath. The best way he could think now to do this, was bring all of his strength as Alpha forward. The best way to overcome Jacob in wolf form was to be wolf, too. But Sam knew that to phase now would be the worst thing he could do. The heat, Jacob's scent, might overcome him…and then his own mind would be lost, drowned in Jacob's desires and needs…Already though, Jacob's scent in heat could be attracting the rest of the pack…

He licked his lips, and stared deep into the wolf's brown eyes, thinking. Should they fight? Would that be all that would work? He had dared to fight another werewolf before, in his human shape, wolf body versus human shape, but it was dangerous. He would not come out with a few mere scratches. Especially with Jacob like this…

He tried to work through the fight in his head, planning his moves, how he would dodge, how he would bring Jacob down and talk to him, convince him to phase back…but then he found his mind had changed the scenario in his head. He was fighting Jacob and they were both in their human shapes, Jacob's lean young body grinding against his, those long-fingered hands slamming against Sam, the white teeth glowing in the sunlight…the muscled torso, sweaty…Jacob's brown eyes burning and warm, warm with desire and affection…

Sam shook his head, and frowned. What was he thinking? Ideas that were not really his own were entering his mind. These were things he would never think. He had never looked at any of his brothers' bodies. He kept his lust private, with Emily, in a room behind a closed door…but now he had images in his head with Jacob, pushing against the young man's flesh, forcing sounds from that soft, full mouth…

He shuddered, and a growl tore through him. Shit! He swore and shook, trembling out of his fighting stance and standing up, trying to be strong. But he was already weak in the face of it. Jacob's heat was affecting him very strongly already. He grit his teeth, angry with himself, trying to hold it all back, to hold Jacob's heat at bay…but it was too late. His body trembled, ready to phase. Jacob's scent surged into his nostrils, hot and rich and tangy with desire…he wanted the wolf before him to be a boy again, so he could take him, could fuck him hard and long in the forest with no one to hear them, no one to see their bodies twisting together, to see him entering Jacob, to see the boy's smooth lips over his cock and that hot, wet tongue…

It was over then. There was no way to get back to himself. He shook; he trembled; and with a roar, he was wolf, dark and large and looming over his pack member. He let a loud growl burst from his throat towards Jacob, and he saw the sudden alarm in warm brown eyes. Then Jacob was off like a shot, a brown blur so large it could never blend into the forest, and Sam was after him, his paws pounding the forest with lightning speed to catch up.

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_Jacob's POV_

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There was no anger left in him. There was no more disappointment. Now, there was fear.

What had he gone and done? Why had he phased? After all of his holding it back, even in frustration yesterday, and for part of today, why had he phased? So what if Cullen was there, he could handle him; no reason to get angry!

But Jacob knew that rationalizing it was stupid. The heat had no rationality. It simply wanted. It wanted, especially now, after he had slaked his thirst for Bella yesterday – it was so much more than that, but to his heat, it was simple primal fulfillment. And the heat wanted more, and it wanted it right now.

Even as he was running from Sam, STILL the heat raged in him! It made his body quicker, it made his muscles tense, it made it even harder for him to breathe, and think. He barely missed hitting several trees on his way up a mountain, and down. Where was he? How far had he gone? He didn't know. All he knew was that he was keeping in the wilderness, and trying his best to evade Sam. He climbed through caves. He tunneled underground through animals' lairs. But Sam was always still behind him. The dark wolf was getting closer!

He knew that Sam didn't really want him. Not like that. No. He couldn't! But phasing had made it happen; Jacob wondered why Sam had phased. Had he really been affected that much by proximity to Jacob in heat? Jacob couldn't believe it. He thought Sam had more control. He had depended on Sam too much, he realized, even though recently he had gained some independence, having been given his own project by Sam to train the new wolves.

Now, he had to depend on Sam's decency, or that Sam would tire, and leave. The alternative was too frightening.

He was running down a hill, towards a field with shrubbery and trees that he hoped would hide him better, when Jacob's foot thudded over a root. His heat made him clumsy. He heat wanted him backwards, to turn around. His heat wanted Sam. God! He wanted Sam! He couldn't believe it, but his body said, yes. His body said, please. He had seen Sam naked; the boys had done naked cliff diving before. He had never had a thought cross his mind to desire Sam. Sam was his superior, his Alpha. Sam was someone to admire, to listen to and learn from, and a good friend. No, a brother.

Jacob did not want to desire his own older brother. But he did.

It was this, all of this jumble and mix-up in him, that made him trip. Before he could think, he was falling. His body crashed past trees and through a bush, scraped over rocks and pebbles, and landed in a heap in the dry yellowed grasses of the field. He phased back quickly, hoping maybe that would help.

Immediately, Sam was upon him. The huge dark wolf body towered over him. The large snout brushed silkily over his body, and the nose pressed against his chest. Then the wolf howled, once, twice, his victory, and then Sam phased back.

He stood over Jacob, and his eyes alone held Jacob still. Those eyes commanded that he not move. A slow smirk came over Sam's face when he saw that Jacob was remaining in his place, and then the man clothed himself with dexterous fingers. Jacob breathed a sigh of relief. Sam was letting him go! Sam did not want him! Or he did, but because he was leader, because he was Sam, he was letting Jacob go. He knew neither of them really wanted this. The heat would fade from him as soon as Jacob left, and he would be normal, good Sam again.

Jacob pushed himself on his elbows into a sitting position, and smiled, saying, "I knew you would -"

His words died in his throat, whirling in his head, _I knew you would come around,_ as that commanding stare from earlier returned. Jacob felt the anger burst from him again, and held back the urge to phase, and instead said, a little loudly, "What?"

"It's not a question of what." Sam's low voice was smooth as normal, but there was a tinge of harsh anger to it.

Because Sam was Jacob's Alpha, just the sound of that voice in anger made the hairs at the back of Jacob's neck prickle up. He immediately felt his mood drop, and sink into a surly waiting. Deep within him, primal, was the heat, and beside it now lay trickling, trickling fear, moving faster inside him.

Sam stood tall over Jacob, with his legs spread shoulder-width apart on either side of Jacob, who now lay still as a board on the ground. Sam's hair was a little longer now, too, but only in that it wasn't yet cut close to his head, as he usually kept it. It was wild on his head, mussed and strewn with leaves. He was barefoot, and he wore a simple white shirt with his slacks.

The danger was not in the hard ridge of Sam's shoulders, or the set of his feet, or the way his mouth was now turning upwards in a smile. It was in Sam's eyes. Their hard, dark gaze softened, and raked over Jacob's body. He felt that gaze on him like an x-ray, creeping over every part of his body, down, and up, and down again. He resisted the urge to squirm under that gaze. It made him breathless. He felt sick. He knew what Sam wanted, as those eyes inspected his every inch.

That gaze alone felt like a violation.

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_I have the feeling some people might want to kill me right about now...*cringes* but there will be more! Man this fic is too long. Hoping to make the next chapter the last. Review, please? What do you think of Bella's talk with Edward? And Sam?  
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	7. Chapter 7

_Originally in this chapter I had more happen between Jacob and Sam. The chapter was a lot longer. At the time, I didn't realize how many people were disturbed by that slashy part; I myself felt a bit weird about it. I decided to cut it out this time, and I went back in and revised; I admit that my revisions are a bit lackluster, because I have since moved out of the "space" or mood of this fanfic. Because I cut a lot, this chapter is much shorter. _

_I did still want to give Jacob more of a hard time though, and you see that in this chapter. Don't worry, though! I think the ending will make you happy. Please tell me what you think when you're done. This is the last chapter, sorry!_

_XOXOXO Thank you all again for all the lovely reviews. =D_

**CRESCENT MOON**

**by The Ultimate Otaku**

_CHAPTER 7  
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_Jacob's POV continued..._

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Jacob growled deep in his throat, as Sam suddenly leaned down. He went down on all fours over Jacob, his face a hair's breadth away from Jacob's. He breathed in Jacob's scent, with a soft, "Mmm," and then that gaze needled Jacob, daring him to growl again.

Jacob couldn't stand it. He shut his eyes and tried to gulp down his anger and his hurt, tried to forget that look in Sam's eyes, but he couldn't. He had been with Sam a long time, a brother, a friend, and he did not want this. The heat wanted it, but he didn't. It was tearing within him, saying yes, YES, but Jacob was fighting it like he hadn't fought it before. His insides were screaming no, NO!

When Sam leaned down, and Jacob knew what he was about to do, it all came out. With a howl, Jacob pushed Sam backwards. He leapt into the air, growling, and phased within seconds. His anger and fear made his wolf body tremble. In front of him, Sam was wolf again, too, and his great dark body shivered and growled in rage.

Jacob ran for his life. He knew what Sam wanted, and Sam was his Alpha. He knew he couldn't hold back against Sam, or the heat, for very long. And his brothers would only bring more trouble. So he ran, and ran, through mountains and forests, over hills, and past deep swamps. When his head was hanging in fatigue, and he couldn't breathe anymore, he stopped, and collapsed onto the ground.

He was on top of a hill by a deep, dense valley filled with trees. The sun was setting now, and Jacob eyed the red ball as it dipped into the horizon.

A large, dark figure suddenly blotted out the sun. Jacob didn't even have the strength to get up. A whimper rose from his throat as his Alpha came to stand in front of him. Sam bared his teeth at Jacob, and low growl rose up in his throat. That growl had Jacob shutting his eyes in fear, and the hairs at the end of his tail rose up. His Alpha was angry with him, was powerful, and Jacob was alone.

He stood up to take it like a man (technically, wolf). Eyes closed, he thought of Bella. What would she think? She would be devastated, surely, and angry with Sam. But Sam had been overcome by Jacob's heat. He couldn't help what he did. It was controlling him just like it was controlling Jacob, except that some deep inner disgust at the idea of doing the nasty with Sam had conquered his lusty urges for the moment.

As he thought of how Sam had lost himself in the heat, a thought thudded into Jacob's brain like a bomb: What if Bella had been overtaken by Jacob's lust, too? What if all of their enjoyment had been actually nothing to her?

Jacob knew she had love for him; but in the throes of it all, perhaps her abandoning Cullen for him was all a lie. A lie that she didn't mean to hurt him with, but a lie nevertheless, because she couldn't be honest in the face of his strong heat. His heat had made her want him. His heat had made her agree that he could have her. What if right now, she was with Edward, confessing, or rather, hiding the truth that she herself found disgusting – that she had let Jacob take her virginity, and for a few sweet hours, have her body and mind and heart? Maybe Cullen was consoling her right now, and she was promising her eternal love to him.

The thought made the bile rise up more in Jacob's throat, and he thought he might be sick then and there.

Suddenly, Sam leapt on top of him, and Jacob howled in fear and rage. He did not fight, as the larger wolf began to beat him bloody. Scratches covered his body, and Sam nudged him again and again, howling for what he wanted. But Jacob would not give it, and Sam would not take it. He thought he deserved it to be given, as Alpha; that, or the heat overrode any thought in him. Pain wracked Jacob's body with each of Sam's hits. He knew bones were broken. In a moment of sheer horror he phased back to his human form. He lay with the heavy form of his Alpha on top of him. His body became bruised more, as the giant wolf nudged and pressed at him. Finally, the shoving stopped, and Jacob stared up into his Alpha's eyes.

He didn't realize he had tears on his face, until the wolf's tongue came out and began to lick them away. In the next moment, Sam had phased back to his human form. Shame burned on his face, and for a moment, he opened his mouth as if to speak. Then he turned away, and ran like the wind.

Jacob hoped he would not come back. He sat there for a long time, and for a few blessed hours his mind was wiped of thought, because he was in so much pain. He cried out as bones crackled to fix themselves. He was relieved that nothing large had been mutilated, only one hand. His torso was bruised, and large red scratches covered him. What hurt more though was his heart and his mind. When the pain started to trickle away, his mind drove him mad.

He could not stand the memory of Sam being so full of shame. He had never seen Sam like that before. It had hurt to see him like that. He hated that he had caused it, that his heat had been so strong; mostly he hated that he had phased, which had made an already horrid day into a nightmare. He knew that he would never forget this and that Sam woud haunt him at night. God, what if something more had happened? Jacob threw up, and then found a cool pond to clean himself in.

He slept for a few hours, and then started the long trek home.

He tried not to think as he walked. But it hurt, every part of his body hurt, and his mind hurt, too. He didn't know what he was coming home to. His Alpha, whom he had respected and honored so much, had been overwhelmed by _his_ heat. He tried to blame himself, so that Sam could be pure and honorable and good Sam again, but he just couldn't. Sam had hurt him so much that he wasn't sure what would happen when next they met. He didn't know what to do about his brothers, either.

He tried not to think, and got himself home, and dressed, and then he collapsed into bed.

He realized an hour later, when he woke up to eat, and then went back to bed, that there was one thing good about this morning:

His heat was over.

_Bella's POV_

It took three weeks before Bella got to see Jacob again. In the first week, she was miserable. She avoided the Cullens at school, and sat with her group of friends at school numbly. Finally one day, Angela took her aside after school and said, "Bella, is everything okay? You seem awfully down lately. I've been worried, and so has everyone else. Mike especially."

Bella rolled her eyes to hear about Mike. She looked around, and saw no familiar faces. So she decided to tell Angela. Angela was a true friend. She had shown this time and time again. Bella leaned her head a little closer to Angela, saying, "You can keep a secret, right?"

Angela nodded her head sagely. Bella smiled. "Well…" Her smile turned into a frown. "I broke up with Edward. I had to, because it was going downhill, and…I realized it wasn't the sort of relationship I want. I'm with someone else now…but we haven't told many people. He's still dealing with his…family, I think, and I've been avoiding the Cullens."

Angela looked surprised, and then dismayed. The dark haired girl put a hand up and rubbed Bella's shoulder comfortingly. "You poor thing. Um…would a hug help at all?"

Bella laughed and nodded. "Yes, actually. My…my boyfriend is a big fan of hugs. I hope his family is okay with us..."

"I hope so, too," Angela murmured. They hugged, tightly, and Bella felt the smile on her face for the rest of the day.

In the middle of the night at the end of the second week, her phone rang. Bella shook herself from sleep and leaned over her bedside to look. The name glowing from the screen was Alice.

Bella grit her teeth and steeled herself, and answered her phone.

"Alice?"

The vampire's voice was quiet. "Bella. I'm out in the woods walking around. I've been thinking." She paused. "I…it really hurts me that you ended things with Edward, but I suppose I can understand. Sometimes you have to work things out…and when you do, you realize that you're meant to be together. I was angry at you, and still am somewhat…only Rosalie and Jasper stopped me from talking to you…you're a powerful person, Bella Swan, to make a whole family of vampires wish that we had the ability to cry."

Bella shook her head, wordless, and felt the tears spill down her cheeks. "I'm sorry. Please tell Carlisle and Esme I'm so sorry I hurt him. How…how is he?"

Her heart felt heavy. Her breath felt tight in her chest. What if Edward had hurt himself?

"You know…he's…" Alice sighed. "He's doing terribly. Carlisle made him promise to stay with us. He wanted to travel around the world. But he decided to follow Carlisle's advice. We're going up to Denali soon…Edward's been wandering in the woods a lot alone…and hunting…he deprived himself for a while, but Emmett and Jasper dragged him along finally. Carlisle has been speaking with him and helping him. And…strangely enough, that Sam Uley helped, too."

Bella felt her hands were clammy, and wiped one over her pajama pants. "Sam Uley?"

"Yes." Alice's voice was a little louder now, a little less quiet and sad. "Edward went to talk to him and asked Sam if he knew what was going on. He was panicky a little that day, and thought that maybe Jacob had managed to coax you into things or something…he went there raring for a fight with the wolf leader for letting Jacob near you so much, actually. He said it had been creating tension for a long time, between us and them, and that Sam had the responsibility to help control Jacob more. Edward was raring for a fight…"

Bella bit her lip. Oh god. Had Edward hurt Sam? Had Sam hurt Edward? Jacob would never forgive the former, and she didn't doubt Jasper at least would attack the wolves – any excuse, he would use. She kept quiet, and then whispered, "What happened?"

Alice was somber. "Well, it surprised us all. Sam spoke to Edward calmly and told him that although he is responsible for his pack, he is first responsible for himself. He said that certain private circumstances had made him realize how important it was that he be an example for his pack, rather than just telling them what to do. He had talked to Jacob and they had settled anger between them, and…he said some cryptic thing about, 'we all have our trouble with controlling ourselves,' and that he was also angry at himself for not seeing the situation with a clearer head. He said that he approved of you and Jacob, and his pack would make sure you stay safe."

Bella was silent. She had never really been enamored of Sam as Jake was. But she had definitely seen a quiet, tender side beneath that gruff, authoritative exterior. Sam was kind and reasonable. Now, she realized why Jacob held him so highly. He was not only a leader, but he was responsible, and apparently, - well, Bella had seen him with Emily – not beyond seeing how strong love could be. He had a good heart. All the wolves did.

Alice spoke up. "Bella? Are you still there? I wondered if you had any idea what Sam meant with control. Do you know? I'm not trying to pry; I just want to understand the big picture. Honest."

Bella swallowed. By control, surely Sam meant Jacob's heat, but that was something Bella had resolved to keep to herself. "I don't know. I haven't talked to any of them in a while. Maybe I'll go down there tomorrow…Alice, I have to ask…what about the Volturi? Aren't they going to ask if I've been…turned?"

Alice paused, and then said, "Well…Carlisle discussed this with us all, and we decided to tell the Volturi that you got killed. That way, Edward's grief will be explained away, and we can start afresh with them and with…everything, really."

Bella smiled, to think that Carlisle had protected her one more time, and said, "How did I get killed, then? And…what if they do come looking for me? I think the wolves can take care of them…maybe?"

"Don't worry, Bella. We talked to Sam about it, and he's got alliances with other packs. I'm sure they'll keep you safe. I think we're going to say your body was burned in a car crash. That way no one will come looking for it."

Bella shuddered, and managed a quiet, "Thanks."

The next day, she did go down to Jacob's house, but was surprised to see that no one was home. The day after that she came back and no one was home, again. Then, on a Monday, she was met with the sight of Sam Uley at the doorstep.

Bella paused outside of her truck. She wondered if Jacob had told Sam that he had taken her, in his heat. She had expected Sam to be furious with Jacob. Had Jacob managed to talk him out of anger? Or had something happened? Perhaps Sam could relate, because of how he had scarred Emily's face. Maybe that was what he meant with control. Still, she determined to be careful around Sam. He was like a brother, but he was also very stern with his pack when he thought they needed it. She didn't want to get Jake into any more trouble.

"Is Jake here?"

Sam shook his head. "Nope. I sent them all off on a tracking expedition. They need some time together without me. I've…" He scratched his head, and then sighed. "I've had time to talk to Jacob alone, and now it's time for Jacob to talk to them. I think it'll be alright though, don't worry. They see I'm fine with it, so they know it isn't anything bad."

Bella sat down next to him on the porch step. The wolf leader was gazing far away, up into the trees. He looked troubled, and his hands were in fists on his knees. She looked away.

"Sam, do you think Leah will mind my being around more? Or Emily?"

He looked at her, and his gaze demanded hers in return. He was such energy! "Of course not. Leah knows she's a wolf brother just as much as any of us, and that you're…well, part of the family in a way. And Emily will be very happy for you."

He smiled, and then said softly, "I am, too."

They sat there together, silent, for maybe an hour or more. When the sun went down, the silence was split by the roar of a car coming down the road. A large vehicle stopped with a jolt behind Bella's car, and a bunch of the pack came piling out. The rest ran in as wolves, and when they saw Bella, they filed into the house to change, and then returned.

The driver's door to the car opened slowly, and Jacob stepped out. Immediately his eyes locked with Bella's. She couldn't look away. He had a shy look on his face, and ducked his head once, and then looked up again with a shy smile.

She stood up and walked towards him, and nuzzled her face into his neck by standing on her tippy toes. "I missed you," she whispered. "How are you?"

His heat was gone now, but she had no doubt that all of his love for her was real. She noticed Jacob's voice was husky as he said, "I," and then stopped. She looked up at him, and realized he was struggling to keep his composure. "I'm happy to see you."

She searched his face for the extra meaning that was in his choked voice, his hard swallow, and the way he shook his head a little and took a deep breath. She saw his gaze go to Sam, and noticed a silent look pass between them. It wasn't a happy one, but it had an air of camaraderie. Like two friends deciding that they would keep going even though the going was tough.

She looked back at Jacob and saw him looking down at her with a grin. "Jacob," she murmured, suddenly thoughtful, "Did you think I wouldn't come back?"

He took a deep breath, then sighed, then took another deep breath. His voice was tight. He leaned back against the car and she leaned into his body. "Yes," he said. "I thought maybe…that my heat had overpowered you…and…it's one of the reasons I stayed away this past couple of weeks."

Bella shook her head vigorously, saying, "I would never leave. No. No. I'm here now. I love you…heat or no heat."

That grin again, lit up her world. "Good."

He kissed her then, slowly and tenderly. His mouth was soft and hot. His tongue flicked into her mouth and teased, and then he pulled away. They stared at each other.

Then Bella asked, "What are the other reasons you stayed away?"

She saw him wince, and share another look with Sam, and then she said, "You don't have to tell me. I can see you and Sam had trouble…You…you'll be alright though, right? He didn't seem angry at all when I spoke to him. He said he's happy for us."

Jacob smiled a little. "Yes. He told me that, too. We talked…we…we had trouble, but I'm going to take it in stride. I'll be okay, because you're here."

She frowned, and then kissed the corner of his mouth. "Good. I love you."

He laughed. "I love it every time you say that. C'mon, let's eat!"

He swung her up into his arms, and she laughed, and blushed. They walked through the pack into the kitchen. Cat calls came from Jacob's brothers, and a couple gave him slaps on the back – and some, pinches on her arm that she was sure would bruise but it was all in fun. They laughed, and they spent a night of laughter and stories around the fire that night.

When the Cullens left a few days later, it was hard for Bella. On Friday it was gossip all over school and everyone was looking at her searchingly. She hated it so much that she drove over the speed limit to Jacob's house as soon as school was out, and found him in his usual pose over a piece of a motorcycle.

She stepped into the garage shed and just stared at him for a few moments. His music was blasting, so he hadn't heard her walk in. He was leaning over with his jeans slung low on his hips, and wore no shirt, of course. Oil and grease covered his hands and streaked his arms with black lines, and a few more were smeared on his temples and forehead, where he'd brushed wisps of hair away from his face. His mouth was pursed in concentration, and his long lashes fell delicately over his cheeks.

She slithered up behind him and covered his eyes with her hands – clambering atop him to do it. "Who is it?" she whispered, giggling.

Jacob laughed. "Um, I don't know, a girl who has to climb on top of me to cover my eyes, and drives a loud vehicle, and doesn't know how to sneak up on people, especially not a wolf…I don't know who it could be!"

She laughed, and let go and slid off of him. He turned around and stood up. He looked at her, putting a finger to his lips. "Is that outfit particularly important to you, or can I touch?"

Bella looked down at her plain shirt and jeans. "It's nothing. Go ahead."

Jacob grinned and laughed. "Alright!"

He pulled her to him and embraced her hard, and it was wonderful, to be swallowed by his embrace and have his large hands at her back. They pulled apart a little and he kissed her. His kiss was slow at first, lips moving over hers, and then his slid his tongue in, and soon the kiss was passionate, still slow, and he seemed to want to eat her. He growled into the kiss, and then pressed her closer to him with a groan. She teased his tongue back, and then they broke the kiss for breath.

"Mmm," he said, still contemplating her. "I always have an appetite after I've worked in the shed a few hours. Would you like to help me get clean?"

She let her gaze take in his tall form, admiring the bare chest, the strong arms, and the low-slung jeans. The crescents of his fingernails had black beneath the edges. She held his hands, admiring the long fingers. "How about we help each other? I'm probably still smelly from gym, and now you've got my clothes all dirty."

As they walked into the house together, hand in hand, they laughed. Billy watched them from the couch as they came in. To her surprise, Bella saw a slight smile play his lips as he watched them together, but when she turned her head to really look at him, he masked it with his usual gruff huff and looked back at the TV.

She followed Jacob down the hall into his room and he shut the door. "Jake," she asked, watching as he stripped off the jeans and tossed them into an already full hamper, leaving him only in his boxers, "How does your dad feel about us?"

Jacob shrugged, and flopped down onto his bed. It creaked in protest. "I dunno. Half the time he's asking me how you are, and the other half he's warning me that I had better treat you like a gentleman would, or you'll leave me. Ha!"

Bella clambered into bed next to him, and slung one arm over his chest. "I think he's okay with us. That or he'll get over it soon. So about that cleaning…" She traced lines of dirt and oil on one of his arms.

Suddenly a rap at the door came, and Billy asked, "Are you two hungry? I'm making something. Come help me decide."

Jacob rolled his eyes and shouted back, "Yeah, okay!" Then when the wheelchair rolled away he turned to Bella with raised brows. "See what I mean?"

She laughed. "Yeah."

Jacob put his jeans back on and they walked out to the kitchen. Billy was cutting vegetables at the counter, humming a cheerful tune to himself.

"Hey dad, I was thinking Bella and I might go out, actually." Jacob smiled at Bella when she looked at him in surprise. "We haven't had a real date yet, and I officially owe her a new shirt for getting oil on the one she's wearing. That would be hell to wash out."

Billy turned to contemplate them with a grin in his eyes. Finally he said, "Yup. Go ahead. Have fun."

Jacob was already dragging Bella out the door, when Billy's shout came, "Be back by midnight! I wouldn't want Charlie to be sour with me. I know he loves you two together, but I'm not going to let him forget his fatherly duties."

They laughed, and it took Jacob a second to put the bike part he'd been working on back in place. Halfway down the road he realized, "Oh shoot, you have no sweater! And I'm in no outfit for a date. God I have no brain. Want to go back?"

She laughed. "You go back and grab a shirt. I'll wait here."

He stopped the bike and leapt off to get it. She wondered where they were going to go? Port Angeles would be nice…they could walk along the beach…sit in a park…then again, she'd never liked all that mushy gushy stuff. Maybe just dinner here and then a walk on _their_ beach. Yes. That would be perfect.

She realized as she sat alone, waiting, that thoughts of Edward did not disturb her as much anymore. She had been sad to hear of them leaving – from Alice, earlier in the week – but not surprised. It actually felt like a relief, to have it just be her and Jacob now. She was with her sun…and what was left of Edward was only a crescent moon, of memories and lessons that she would keep in her heart. After all, he had been an important part of her life, even if it had all been wrong for her in the end. If it weren't for her suspicions of his being a vampire, she never would have gone out of her way to come visit young Jacob Black and flirt enough with him to make her tell him about 'the cold ones…'

Bella shivered, and as if she had summoned him, Jacob returned. He wore a shirt now, a slightly dressy one with buttons, and he'd even tucked it into his jeans. He slung a leather jacket at her and then they got back on the bike. She told him about her ideas for their date as he kicked the bike back into gear and started it, and he said, "I like that."

They roared down the road and into the main part of town. She held on tight to his waist, or alternately his shoulders. She was so happy right now. "You didn't have to dress up for me!"

Jacob turned back in his seat and looked at her. He winked. "I wanted to. You look smoldering hot in that leather jacket, by the way. When we're done eating, and beach walking, um…do you want to swim? We could skinny dip. I know a little cave cove down a ways from my house."

Now it was her turn to wink. It made him grin. "Yes," she said. "You continue to come up with good ideas."

He parked the bike and they got off. They stood at the railing of the stair that led up to the restaurant. He wrapped her in his arms and kissed her, and the whole world could see them, and Bella didn't care. She had her sun, her love, and it was the best choice she had ever made.

They walked inside hand in hand. They were the picture of young love, laughing, staring at each other, eating voraciously. They earned a couple glances, and that was it.

It was human (well, partly). It was real. It was perfect.

_THE END_


End file.
